Towing Issues: charge a fee to keep my car?, lien notices, tow company

Question
Can a towing company charge a fee to keep my Car? is it legal and permited by state and federal regulations, My ca r was towed by School police to Big Z Towing in S.B. California due to ticket charge it will be held for 30 days and the charge to retrieve then would be too much I can not afford $1,000, so I decide to let the car go however not only does the towing company want me to sighn over the car but also pay them $450.00 to keep my car, is this legal? the car is not latest model It is 1993 Geo Metro very good condition runs well. wht can you suggest?

Answer
well I hate to give you an "homework assignment" but California has so many laws regarding towing, holding vehicles, and the lien process to get rid of them that for me to answer each part of this it would be about 393839 pages long.

But in the short answer version the tow company has the right to hold the vehicle for a certain amount of time as per state law based on value of the vehicle, and of course if it is ordered held by a law enforcement agency then that also does cause the bills to add up..

A 14 year old Geo is not really worth a lot and will not sell for much to a scrap yard or to anyone in the general public...  
Signing over the title is just one of the ways that tow companies try to recover the expenses of doing the tow, following all the laws regarding notices, and of course the lien notices also require expenses on the tow company part which they would like to recover..
Asking for $ 450.00 might seem like to much, but California also has a provision in its laws where if you do not pay for a tow the tow company can sue you in court for the unpaid amount, and they also can have your drivers license suspended (I believe that law has taken effect recently if I am not confused with another law or state)

I would work what ever you can out with the tow company and hopefully they can help you both solve the issue... Good luck