Letter: Visit downtown, pay $600 to park
To the editor, 
–The City of Paso Robles puts out “No Parking After 4 p.m.” signs where they can’t be seen and ten or more vehicles get towed the evening of Nov. 10 to keep the streets clear for its Elegant Evening Downtown. We parked across from Fish Gaucho at 12:45 p.m., had lunch, left at 2 p.m. (nobody at the restaurant told us to move our vehicles by 4 p.m.) and shopped on foot in downtown stores. We wrapped up at the Goodwill (to save money) and walked back to the car at 5:10 p.m. No car. The signs, which were not in front of every parking space, couldn’t be seen when the streets were full of parked cars! There was no sign in front of where I parked. We had to walk to the Police Station and pay $140 for them to release the car, then $460 to Alliance Towing to get my car back. $600 for an afternoon spent in downtown Paso!
My 69-year-old friend was visiting from Maine and I’m 63. We both had to walk in the dark to Alliance Towing to get our cars. My jacket was in my car, I was wearing a T-shirt, and it was 52 degrees out. The city also towed the truck of the professional cycle team, sponsored by Pacific Premier Bank, which was there to participate in the Nov. 11 event. And the city towed the vehicle of two older ladies who were going to provide hot dogs at tomorrow’s Veterans Day Ceremony in Paso. At least ten vehicles were towed tonight. For no reason except to let a bunch of tipsy people walk the streets. Paso: hold your events in the park and put fences up instead of lining the coffers of the city with towing fees. Anyone who was towed can call the Police Records Department at (805) 237-6464 to ask for a “tow hearing.” As for me, I do not plan to patronize downtown Paso again.
Cindy McIntyre
Paso Robles
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