Mudslinging over Parking Apps in San Francisco

A San Francisco city attorney spokesman used some colorful language in response to MonkeyParking's recent act of defiance against the city.

2 minute read

June 29, 2014, 9:00 AM PDT

By Irvin Dawid


As we noted earlier, "a 'cease-and-desist letter' was sent June 23 to MonkeyParking, a Rome-based tech startup that developed and markets an app that allows motorists to auction public parking spaces beginning at $5."

City Attorney Dennis Herrera contends MonkeyParking and two other similar parking startups [ParkModo and Sweetch] also facing legal action have built business models entirely premised on illegal transactions - selling access to part of a public street, wrote John Coté earlier.

Coté updates the story, crediting MonkeyParking with "chutzpah." "In a newly released statement, MonkeyParking CEO Paolo Dobrowolny, derided Herrera’s cease and desist letter as 'an open violation of free speech'.”

“I have the right to tell people if I am about to leave a parking spot, and they have the right to pay me for such information,” Dobrowolny said, adding that "the city was improperly trying to apply a 'pre-shared economy' law to a 'shared economy' service.”

That defense didn't sit well with "Herrera spokesman Matt Dorsey (who) described that justification as “wildly inventive verbal gymnastics.”

Let’s be honest. It’s like a prostitute saying she’s not selling sex — she’s only selling information about her willingness to have sex with you,” Dorsey said. “It’s semantic hair splitting — and it’s absurd.”

Salon's Andrew Leonard was more direct: "This, pretty much everyone would agree, is an example of how the “sharing economy” can be totally bullshit."

In some cases, the parking app companies have done more than just sell information, as Coté indicated in his earlier piece.

One of the (three parking app) companies, ParkModo, is even hiring people at $13 an hour to occupy parking spaces in the trendy Mission District during the peak evening hours this week and then sell the spots as a way of promoting the company's smartphone app.

Herrera warned MonkeyParking that unless he shuts down the app by July 11, "(m)otorists would face $300 fines for each violation and MonkeyParking could be liable for penalties of up to $2,500 per transaction," writes Jessica Kwong of the San Francisco Examiner.

Friday, June 27, 2014 in San Francisco Chronicle

portrait of professional woman

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

Get top-rated, practical training

High-rise apartment buildings in Waikiki, Hawaii with steep green mountains in background.

Study: Maui’s Plan to Convert Vacation Rentals to Long-Term Housing Could Cause Nearly $1 Billion Economic Loss

The plan would reduce visitor accommodation by 25,% resulting in 1,900 jobs lost.

April 6, 2025 - Honolulu Civil Beat

Two yellow and white Dallas Area Rapid Transit light rail streetcars at station in Dallas, Texas.

North Texas Transit Leaders Tout Benefits of TOD for Growing Region

At a summit focused on transit-oriented development, policymakers discussed how North Texas’ expanded light rail system can serve as a tool for economic growth.

April 3, 2025 - KERA News

Rusty abandoned oil well and equipment with prickly pear cactus next to it in West Texas.

Using Old Oil and Gas Wells for Green Energy Storage

Penn State researchers have found that repurposing abandoned oil and gas wells for geothermal-assisted compressed-air energy storage can boost efficiency, reduce environmental risks, and support clean energy and job transitions.

March 31, 2025 - Pennsylvania State University

Kingsbridge Armory, large hangar-like brick building in the Bronx, New York City with brick lower floors and glass/metal curved roof..

A Bronx Community Fights to Have its Voice Heard

After organizing and giving input for decades, the community around the Kingsbridge Armory might actually see it redeveloped — and they want to continue to have a say in how it goes.

30 minutes ago - Shelterforce Magazine

Close-up of white sign with black text; line drawing of bike and 'BIKE LANE'

Houston Mayor Promises Dedicated Austin Street Bike Lane After Public Backlash

Although the one-way bike lane won’t be protected by physical barriers, the proposal is an improvement over the mayor’s initial plan to only include sharrows on the Austin Street project.

1 hour ago - Houston Chronicle

Bird's eye view of large apartment complex under construction next to four-lane road near Atlanta, Georgia.

How Atlanta Built 7,000 Housing Units in 3 Years

The city’s comprehensive, neighborhood-focused housing strategy focuses on identifying properties and land that can be repurposed for housing and encouraging development in underserved neighborhoods.

2 hours ago - Governing