Fellow Commercial Tenant Threatens Our Customers with Towing

[sara]

My question involves a towing question from the state of: California

Our business shares a parking lot with other tenants, one of which is a Los Angeles County mental health office. This 'center' has upper and lower parking lots with free use for customers and employees of the center. There are no assigned spaces. Our business is on the lower level while the county is on the upper level. According to the lease, the county is not supposed to use the lower level at all...while we are allowed a few spaces on the upper level, in addition to the lower level. After 4 pm...when the county office closes, we can use the entire lot as required.

This county office appears to have gotten exponentially busier over the past year and parking is becoming an issue. They've hired rather brash security guards who have told our customers/employees they cannot park on the upper level/will be towed if they're not doing business with the department.

Today took the cake. I noticed two people come down from the upper level and get into their car parked on our lower level...they were wearing badges and it is a 99% certainty that they worked for the county. (I know some of them like to park down here on HOT days because we have the shade!) This is two days after their security threatened one of our employees with towing...so he didn't park up there. My argument with their security guards was ridiculous...I think they basically told me 'tough' or 'go jump in the lake'

This dispute is not going to be solved by the common landlord short of assigning spaces...which would be detrimental to all.

So finally my question:

I'm thinking of parking my son's truck up there...antagonizing them into towing it. Since we have the absolute right to park a few vehicles in the lot, that would be an illegal tow on their behalf, right? Them having to pay double/triple costs for an illegal tow might solve the problem? Any thoughts?

[Who'sThatGuy]

Just remember, you're parking your sons truck on the upper level at your own risk. What if they don't decide to tow it and do decide that keying the truck would make them happier? I wouldn't shake the three or slap a sleeping dog.

But in the case they do tow it. How would you prove that there were just a few cars parked there when they claim you were towed being that several cars were parked there when you were only allowed a few and it was interrupting their business?

[sara]

Just remember, you're parking your sons truck on the upper level at your own risk. What if they don't decide to tow it and do decide that keying the truck would make them happier? I wouldn't shake the three or slap a sleeping dog.

But in the case they do tow it. How would you prove that there were just a few cars parked there when they claim you were towed being that several cars were parked there when you were only allowed a few and it was interrupting their business?

RE: keying the car...that's why I'd use my son's truck

I have cameras outdoors and they don't. I'm just so frustrated with this arrogant county department...to the point of figuring out a sting operation with a bait car! I just wanted to be sure on the law and consequences of illegal towing

[Disagreeable]

You are using the complete wrong approach. Handle this through the landlord.