Towing Issues: towed in san francisco, small claims court, collection boxes

Question
Hello,
I parked my car in a paying parking lot in San Francisco last Friday night at 8:00 pm and payed for a ticket guaranteeing my parking for 24 hours.  Then, at 12:00 noon on Saturday, I went back to the lot to get my car and there was a farmers market going on.  My car had been towed.  They showed me the small print on a sign saying I couldn't park in that lot on Saturday.  I was forced to pay $375 to the towing company they had my car towed to.  Is it legal for them to have my car towed even though I payed for a ticket guaranteeing me parking for 24 hours?  I didn't receive any kind of citation.  I still have the ticket that guaranteed my parking.  Any chance I can fight this?

Answer
well this kind of problem is one where both sides look to be legal and practical.. First of all, I recommend that anytime anyone parks in any parking lot, to take the time to read all the signs in the lot, especially around any pay to park collection boxes...

As you seen sometimes small signs hold the big key to the legality of parking...
Now as to legal to tow, I would image the farmers market has a contract granting "exclusive use" of the parking lot for a certain time period on Saturday. They also rent out spaces to the vendors who need the space. A vehicle in the middle of all that will create major problems, so they do have vehicles towed that are left in the parking lot...

As to the charges, well I know that it is real expensive for towing in California and that fee does seem a bit high to me, but I bet there are some storage fees, and afterhours release fees.  Those fees are at times what really increase the tow bills..

Now as to contesting the tow, you can always do the small claims court route and I can not tell you how they will rule. It all depends on how you present your evidence to the court...