An Alameda County Civil Grand Jury report released at the end of June found The City of Oakland has issued hundreds of tickets to abandoned vehicles that were reported stolen, creating a problem for both the victims of the crime and the city.
The civil grand jury, a panel convened annually in each county around the state to investigate and report on local government operations, found that parking tickets generate a lot of revenue for a city struggling financially.
In fiscal year 2023-24, the Oakland Department of Transportation collected more than 14 million dollars in fines for parking tickets.
But issuing tickets to vehicles whose owners reported them stolen adds "insult to injury" to someone whose car ended up abandoned by a fire hydrant through no fault of their own, the jury found. Penalties for late payments compound the problem.
The Oakland City Council, the mayor, and the director of OakDOT are required to respond to the civil grand jury's report by September 24.
