My question involves a traffic citation from the state of: California
On Friday, April 4th, I was helping a friend move out. He lived in one of those mobile home communities. Parking is very limited, but there was a spot available across the street. That side of a street is a fire lane, but there is an unpainted gap in front of a house. My friend suggested I park there so I did. Here is the space:
The reason that area isn't painted red like the rest of that side of the street is because that spot used to be a handicap zone for someone who used to live there. She has since moved out and they simply took off the blue handicap zone.
I was inside a portable moving container when I saw a tow truck hauling my truck away far down the street. I was puzzled, why would I be towed?
When I went to the towing company to ask why they took my truck, they argued that the entire street was a fire lane even if the area wasn't painted. They said that it was California code and all. A neighbor of my friend went with me (he has dealt with them before) and we tried to reason with them, but you can imagine that didn't go so well. His presence made it difficult to talk to the towing guys, who thought I was recording them when I showed them a picture of the parking spot. As a result they left and told me to come back Monday (in which the fee would most likely increase).
I waited around because I really needed my truck back (I live pretty far away). They eventually came out and offered a ultimatum, pay now or come back Monday. I wasn't allowed to talk or argue, it was either yes and shut your mouth or no and leave. Didn't have much of a choice so I paid the $350 they charged me. The guy had all the leverage and he knew it. While inside, he showed me the pictures taken from two angles, which show my truck in that non-painted area. One of the angles made it look like it was touching it just by a little. I didn't have time to examine it closely, and I couldn't really protest it since I was felt pressured to not say anything while inside.
I talked to one of the attendants at the front gate. He told me the agreement that the towing company has with property management states that a citation form has to be filled out and signed before towing (Which the towing guys never did. It was a total sneak job, grab and run). He gave me a copy of it for reference. He also said that the spot was ok to park in. He said even if my truck was touching the lane by a little, it wasn't that big a deal and they shouldn't have towed me. The towing guys must have used the back entrance where there is no attendant. He also mentioned that they have been having problems with that particular towing company and that the property manager was going to have a meeting to discuss it.
Do I have a case here for a small claims suit? It's been really inconvenient for me going back and forth to this location trying to get answers and my money back. Please advise. Thanks!
Here are 2 more photos of the space:
![]()



