The citizens of Oakland should not have to pay ridiculous parking fines because the city is broke. The current economic climate has caused many residents to lose their jobs, and the fines and late fees are not within the reach of many average citizens who merely want to go to work. Parking tickets start at $60 and go up to $90-100 for such routine violations as expired meters or parking outside the painted box. Payment plans are unavailable without paying an additional $100 fine, therefore making the cost double or triple the original fine. With Oakland recently named as the #5 Place to Visit in 2012 by the New York Times, the current parking policy being practiced by the City of Oakland and enormously high fines are a deterrent from people visiting and working in the city. Not to mention, many city employees recieve free parking from the city, therefore blinding and shielding them from fines and penalties being imposed on the public. As many Oakland residents who expressed their dissatisfaction through the Occupy movement have said, the citizens should not be the ones to bear the brunt and pay so heavily for government mismanagement of funds and budget deficits. 

Therefore, I am signing my name to this petition demanding that the City of Oakland reduce its parking fines and late fees in order to relieve some of the financial pressure of living, working, visiting, doing business, and shopping in Oakland.