Commentary: Disability Placards and Overnight Parking in Beverly Hills

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Commentary submitted by Beverly Hills resident Gary Simon.

I parked my car on Linden last night and, in the dark, mistakenly put up my valid New York State disability placard—it was still in the glove compartment of the car; we had only moved back to this area about six months ago—instead of my valid California disability placard.

The parking enforcement officer issued a citation for violation of the overnight parking regulations. Inasmuch as the officer obviously ran a verification, he or she would have known that I was a local resident parked within a block of my residence and that I possessed a valid California-issued disability placard. I would suggest that all local politicians and officials who even imply that the overnight parking ban has anything to do with safety stop lying to the public and just tell the truth.

The officer also noted that I could not use my validly issued out-of-state placard. I would suggest that the Beverly Hills City Attorney research whether this violates the full faith and credit clause of the United States Constitution because, if it does, it not only exposes the city to a lawsuit in federal court for a violation of my civil rights, but also exposes all Californians visiting and driving in New York and other states to charges that they are driving without a valid driver's license.

Gary Simon
Beverly Hills Resident 

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