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Madera - The other day I was
reading through the Red Line at the Madera Tribune's
website and I came across a posting from a lady upset
with the city's own watering policy. She said there was
water flowing from one of the many new city islands
through out the town into the street and questioned
whether the city should fine itself for being a water
waster. That got me to wonder how many other things did
the city do on a regular bases that you and I would get
threatening warning letters or even fines for?
Then today, a very slow news day, the
news gods came down and presented me with a photo
opportunity for such a question.
 While
paying my water bill at Madera City Hall I noticed the
handicapped spot was full and the handicapped ramp from
the parking lot to the sidewalk was being blocked.
Blocked by a city truck and trailer. Does the "E" on the
license plates of city vehicles mean they are exempt
from state taxes or all the laws of the California
Vehicle Code?
I made a call to the Madera Police
Department. Who then made a call to the city's human
resources and lost prevention director. Instead of
sending an officer to cite the driver of the vehicle,
the Madera Police Department sent out a city
administrator to handle the problem. I wonder if this
had been some private citizen's car if the police would
of had the human resource director handle it?
The following is the dialog between
the HR director and myself:
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JP: |
"There is a city
truck and trailer in the handicapped stall." |
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MHR: |
"They are unloading furniture for city hall." |
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JP: |
"So if I am
unloading a vehicle, I can park in a handicapped
stall?" |
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MHR: |
"I
didn't say that. They have only been parked here
for five minutes." |
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JP: |
"So if I am only
going to be five minutes I can park in a
handicapped stall? |
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MHR: |
"I didn't say that but it is a city truck?" |
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JP: |
"So a city truck is
exempt from the California Vehicle Code?" |
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MHR: |
"I didn't say
that." |
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JP: |
"So what are you trying to
say?" |
So what is the city trying to say?
They have used all the excuses some scum bag illegally
parking in a handicapped stall in the
 Wal-Mart
parking lot might use with a police officer ready to
issue a citation. There is a reason people are issued
handicapped placards and there is a reason for the
handicapped stalls. There is also a reason there is a
$250 fine for illegally parking in those spaces.
There isn't one line in the American
Disability Act of 1990 that says it's ok for the city to
use the spots to move in new furniture. There isn't one
exemption that gives the city a right to take up those
spots for any reason. Oh wait, was that truck an
emergency vehicle? I know the police use that one to
violate the CVC all the time.
You might think, "What's the big deal
here?" But if you were a seventy-one year old woman who
just had a quadruple heart bypass who went to city hall
to pay her utility bill and needed that spot, it would
be a big deal to her. If it's a big deal to her, it's a
big deal to me.
Now what can we do if the city won't
do anything to police itself? I for one am going to
start posting videos of city employees that don't seem
to care about public safety and minding the rules of the
road on this site and YouTube.com. Maybe once some of
these folks are publicly exposed the city will stand up
and take control of an out of control problem.
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