San Francisco Offers to Refund $6 Million in Overpaid Parking Tickets

You might not believe it, but the city of San Francisco is offering refunds after realizing it overcharged on parking tickets.

1 minute read

February 26, 2016, 1:00 PM PST

By James Brasuell @CasualBrasuell


Sonja Hutson reports: "After reviewing data from that 17-year period, the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency says more than 200,000 overpaid citations have yet to be refunded. The overpaid amounts, which range from $15 to more than $1,000, total $6.1 million."

In effect, people who have been overcharged for parking tickets have until March 3, 2016 to claim their refund. The city has taken additional measures in notifying the public about the refunds, even posting an online database of people owed money by the city.

Perhaps in a nod to the widespread incredulousness this news has inspired (i.e., "Wait, the city is admitting to overcharging on parking tickets?"), Tara Golshan picked up on the news of the refunds for the national site Vox, offering an explainer of how this strange turn of evens came to pass. A sample of the big names included on the list is among the details shared by Golshan: "Steve Jobs (owed $174), California Gov. Jerry Brown (owed $33), Attorney General Kamala Harris (owed $60), and Uber CEO Travis Kalanick (owed $510, although he probably doesn't have a problem with parking illegally anymore)."

Monday, February 22, 2016 in KQED News

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

Concrete Brutalism building with slanted walls and light visible through an atrium.

What ‘The Brutalist’ Teaches Us About Modern Cities

How architecture and urban landscapes reflect the trauma and dysfunction of the post-war experience.

February 28, 2025 - Justin Hollander

Complete Street

‘Complete Streets’ Webpage Deleted in Federal Purge

Basic resources and information on building bike lanes and sidewalks, formerly housed on the government’s Complete Streets website, are now gone.

February 27, 2025 - Streetsblog USA

Green electric Volkswagen van against a beach backdrop.

The VW Bus is Back — Now as an Electric Minivan

Volkswagen’s ID. Buzz reimagines its iconic Bus as a fully electric minivan, blending retro design with modern technology, a 231-mile range, and practical versatility to offer a stylish yet functional EV for the future.

March 3, 2025 - ABC 7 Eyewitness News

Yellow bird with black head sitting on power line.

City Nature Challenge: Explore, Document, and Protect Urban Biodiversity

The City Nature Challenge is a global community science event where participants use the iNaturalist app to document urban biodiversity, contributing valuable data to support conservation and scientific research.

1 minute ago - City Nature Challenge

Screenshot of robot with fox and bird in The Wild Robot animated movie.

A Lone Voice for Climate: How The Wild Robot Stands Apart in Hollywood

Among this year’s Oscar-nominated films, only The Wild Robot passed the Climate Reality Check, a test measuring climate change representation in storytelling, highlighting the ongoing lack of climate awareness in mainstream Hollywood films.

1 hour ago - The Hollywood Reporter

View of mountains with large shrubs in foreground in Altadena, California.

Healing Through Parks: Altadena’s Path to Recovery After the Eaton Fire

In the wake of the Eaton Fire, Altadena is uniting to restore Loma Alta Park, creating a renewed space for recreation, community gathering, and resilience.

March 9 - Pasadena NOw