Traffic Officer Reveals Palisades Streets with Most Parking Violations

The Post Hits the Road for Ride-Along with a Traffic Officer

You fear the dreaded red and white envelope stuck under your windshield wiper blade. Avoiding a parking ticket that could cost you $60 or more in Los Angeles is tricky though, given the stacked signage, colored curbs and street sweeping schedules.

It’s no different in Pacific Palisades, the beat patrolled by Los Angeles Department of Transportation Traffic Officer Silvia Quevedo. She’s been working in and out of the community for the last 13 years for LADOT’s Western Parking Enforcement Area and recently took the Palisadian-Post for a ride-along in one of the department’s hundreds of white Toyota hybrids. She’s been on a regular patrol in the Palisades for the last six months.

During the ride-along, Quevedo scanned electronic parking meters, issued several violation tickets and told a work crew to move away from a red curb.

That’s a pretty typical day for Quevedo, who works an eight-hour day shift. But sometimes, even in the Palisades, her job can be a potentially dangerous one.

“I’ve been threatened before,” Quevedo said about an angry exchange in the Village one time. “This guy threatened to kill me.”

Quevedo knows how to disengage, uusally getting in her vehicle and driving away. If a parking officer is threatened to the extent they feel they will be harmed, they won’t hesitate to call Los Angeles police for backup.

She encourages residents who are upset about getting a ticket to use the city’s 3-1-1 system to lodge a complaint.

“Once I start writing the ticket and enter the license plate, it can’t be undone,” she said.

“I don’t take it personal,” Quevedo added about some of the worst reactions. “Who wants to get a ticket? No one likes it, and they take their anger out on me.”

According to city parking enforcement, there are approximately 316 meter spaces in the Palisades, including coin/card meters and two pay stations. In 2012, there were approximately 10,033 citations issued in the Palisades. In 2013, the number climbed to approximately 10,401 citations.Through March 2014, there have been approximately 1,353 citations issued.

For perspective, LADOT Senior Traffic Supervisor Kimmi Porter says in the western district for 2013 there were approximately 618,843 citations issued, totaling approximately $41,334,423 in revenue. Those funds are allocated to L.A.’s special parking revenue fund.

What about all those claims that traffic officers write tickets to meet quotas?

“Quotas are illegal,” Porter said.

As a tip for drivers, Quevedo said that when faced with some of the more complicated parking signs in L.A., always read from top to bottom. She noted that anything colored red is the most restrictive regulation.

Traffic officers are well aware of many of the tricks people use to get around being ticketed. Most commonly, Quevedo has seen the ‘decoy ticket’ used in Pacific Palisades – placing an old ticket envelope issued to a different vehicle on the windshield.

If caught, violators will receive a new ticket and fine for the parking violation at that time, but there is no fine for using a decoy. Other tricks LADOT sees are covering of the vehicle inspection number, covering of the license plate, altering of permits and fraudulent use of handicapped placards.

“I always check,” Quevedo reminded anyone trying to cut corners.