Towing Issues: Car towed twice in 2 weeks-5th ticket, expired registration, storage fees

Question
Hi Chris-

First, thank you in advance for any light AT ALL you can shed on this dilemna for me.

Okay, down to it: so my boyfriend had his car towed last week for expired registration.  He paid the registration, then bailed it out of the tow lot (total: about $1,000).  Now it turns out the day he was towed, LAPD gave him a ticket for the expired registration, making that his 5th parking ticket on file. Apparantly, your car can be towed with no provocation for having 5 or more unpaid parking tickets on file.  

My question is: since he wasn't notified of said ticket, does that make this invalid?  I feel like you have to have notice of a parking ticket for it to be valid...no?  And how can parking enforcement just tool around and run people's VINs or licenses, looking for a reason to impound?  That seems like...entrapment?  Or something like it?

I'm just confused because we live in an area where out of the 15 or so apartments on the block, only two have parking lots, so our neighborhood is RIPE with parking tickets, all day every day.  We're already poor! I don't feel like this is fair.

So what I am asking you is, can they do this?

Aye aye aye!

Answer
Unfortunately yes, if you have citations they can impound the vehicle. The notice is the citation it's self. They figure if you drive the vehicle you will get the ticket. I would check however on the DMV web site in California. It is very informative and has easy links to all the state statutes on towing etc. The storage fees sound a little outrageous at $1,ooo.00