Local News in Brief : Seal Beach : City Begins Crackdown on Parking Offenders

In an effort to recover more than $145,000 in delinquent fines owed by chronic parking offenders, the city will be cracking down on motorists who have five or more unpaid parking tickets, a police spokesman said Wednesday.

During the crackdown, which begins immediately, police will place warnings on cars that have accumulated between five and 10 delinquent tickets, the spokesman said. The warnings will include information on how to pay the tickets. Motorists who do not respond within 10 working days will have their cars towed away, she said.

There will be no such warning for those who have acquired 10 or more unpaid tickets; their cars will be towed immediately.

“There’s a small percentage of people who will not comply, who will neither pay the tickets nor contest them,” said Seal Beach Police Sgt. Larry Sides. “That’s who we’re targeting.”

Sides said there currently are 416 vehicles in city records with five or more unpaid parking tickets. One has 48 unpaid tickets with fines totaling $2,353. “If they know who they are, they should call me and get this taken care of or we’re going to take their car,” he said.

To reclaim a towed car, the owner must prove to Seal Beach police that the tickets have been paid and that the vehicle’s registration is current, Sides said. For more information, call West-Computil, the company handling the city’s parking citations, at 1 (800) 458-4879, or the Seal Beach Police Department at (213) 431-2541.