Towing Issues: Vehicle Towed from the Mall, loading zones, parking zone

Question
I went to the mall today for lunch. I parked and went in. I ordered my food and sat down to eat it. Just as I was finishing up with my food my cousin that was eating with me says is that your truck on the back of the tow truck. and for sure it was. I ran out to the truck and asked the tow truck guy why I was getting towed. He said he was called and that I was parked in a no parking zone. I had to pay him a 150 to get my truck back. But after paying I went over to the spot and I was parked over the top of the no parking painted on the ground but no sign or poll indicating that it was a no parking spot. The spot was no clearly marked off. My question is how much time should elapse before they can tow my vehicle from private property and can they do that with on clearly marking it. They sited CA veh code 22658 which says they much provide the correct 17inch by 22 inch sign with number of police and the towing companies.

Answer
Well California laws are great and very accurate but there are times and places where signs are not posted for reasons like no accessible place to post it safely...

Things like the mall and shopping centers are big places and if they only followed the laws which say signs have to be posted at the entrances then it would be real hard to legally park as marked areas such as firelanes, loading zones, handicapped parking and no parking areas would have signs ever couple feet. And it would pose a safety issue as people would hit them, and walk into them...

Now as to the time allowed for parking in a no parking zone, you are really asking the wrong person here about that...  Personally if it is parked wrong and illegal, there should be no grace period. It should LEAVE IMMEDIATELY and those are my thoughts.

Now according to the laws, there is the 1 hour law and there are also cases and reasons that a vehicle can be towed right away.

Since I am not in California, I really can not see what is happening and all that... I have to talk to people and read news and laws to help answer questions about there...  So my answers are not always what the person wants to hear...

I do not know if you would win, if you contested the tow. But if you feel that they did violate any section of the Vehicle Code then you do have the right to go after them...  DMV might help you decide if it is practical or even a legal tow...