Parking Ticket for Expired Registration with Temporary Tags

[bdl4life]

My question involves vehicle registration or title in the state of: California

I purchased a Used car from a dealer and it had a temporary registration tag at the time. When I purchased the car I also paid for the registration and submitted the paperwork. It took the DMV almost 2 months to process the paperwork and send out my tags, during that time I received a ticket from the city of Manhattan Beach for $79.00 for having expired registration. I submitted a form with the city of Manhattan Beach explaining the situation and included the proof that my tags had been processed by the DMV prior to when the ticket was written but that they had not been mailed out. After a few weeks I just received a letter from the city of Manhattan Beach saying that my request was denied and I must pay the full fee of $79.00 before I can do anything else.

My question is, what is the best course of action? I am a recent college grad and money is tight for me right now. I can afford to pay the $79.00 but it is still a lot of money. And if I do pay how long will it take for a hearing? And will I need to take time off of work for this hearing? Any help would be great. Thank you.

[cdwjava]

Only they can tell you how long it might take to schedule a hearing.

You have little other option but to pay and contest it if you wish. If you do not pay it, they might send it to collections (which might add up to $500 to the total) or they might put a lien on the car forcing you to pay it plus penalties when you renew the registration.