Since you might not be able to see the article, I'll paste it here... There were comments on the bottom, one dude was like, "he should have written 3000 checks at 10 cents each"... ahahaha...
Santa Cruz man tries to pay parking tickets with 30,000 pennies
By Jennifer Squires
Santa Cruz Sentinel
Article Launched: 10/16/2008 02:39:47 PM PDT
SANTA CRUZ -- Robert Havens, 74, had a first recently at the Lee Street home he's lived in for nearly a half-century.
He got parking tickets.
Havens, a wiry retired tree-trimmer who wears a straw hat and loose Wranglers, has several vehicles that don't all fit in his driveway. So he parks his motor home, dump truck and flat bed on the quiet neighborhood street off Emeline Avenue.
A city ordinance states vehicles parked on public streets must be moved every 72 hours -- a rule to prevent people from storing or abandoning their cars on streets -- and Havens said that's a dance he's gotten used to. He said he moves his vehicles every time a city parking officer or police community service officer marks his tires.
Havens had escaped parking problems until this fall, when he found three tickets on three vehicles after spending a long weekend visiting his son in Modesto. He claims he was only gone from 4 p.m. on a Friday to 6 a.m. Sunday, but in that time he racked up three $100 parking tickets.
He plans to contest the tickets, but the city requires people to pay their parking fines before an appeal hearing is scheduled.
So in protest, he tried to pay the fine in pennies Wednesday.
"I'm just giving them back a little bit of what I get every week," Havens said.
He went to four banks to exchange a portion of his Social Security check for 30,000 pennies, which he delivered to the downtown parking office Wednesday
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afternoon.
Going into it, Havens anticipated a showdown.
"I know they're going to have a fit -- for sure," he said before rolling the 180 pounds of pennies the block and a half from his car to the parking office on Locust Street.
He even brought a letter citing the Uniform Commercial Code that states pennies are money.
"I think pennies are legal tender in the United States and I think they should be accepted," Havens said. "Any government-run operation should have to accept them."
After the parking office supervisor Claudia Carlson told him coins weren't an acceptable form of payment ? the office doesn't take loose change, not just Havens' 30,000 pennies ? he reluctantly rolled the dolly of buckets back to his car.
"Ha ha, I knew that was coming," Havens said.
But his real disappointment was the lack of resolution to the parking problems in his neighborhood. When the pennies weren't accepted, he was given until 5 p.m. Wednesday to pay the $300 fine and decided not to. By not making the payment, Havens' hearing to appeal the tickets wasn't scheduled. He's not sure what will happen next.
"I'm going to let it go to the next level, whatever that is," Havens said, speculating that a warrant may be issued for his arrest. "I guess I'll find out."
But Havens did make one decision Wednesday: to deposit the pennies in his granddaughter's bank account.
Santa Cruz man tries to pay parking tickets with 30,000 pennies
By Jennifer Squires
Santa Cruz Sentinel
Article Launched: 10/16/2008 02:39:47 PM PDT
SANTA CRUZ -- Robert Havens, 74, had a first recently at the Lee Street home he's lived in for nearly a half-century.
He got parking tickets.
Havens, a wiry retired tree-trimmer who wears a straw hat and loose Wranglers, has several vehicles that don't all fit in his driveway. So he parks his motor home, dump truck and flat bed on the quiet neighborhood street off Emeline Avenue.
A city ordinance states vehicles parked on public streets must be moved every 72 hours -- a rule to prevent people from storing or abandoning their cars on streets -- and Havens said that's a dance he's gotten used to. He said he moves his vehicles every time a city parking officer or police community service officer marks his tires.
Havens had escaped parking problems until this fall, when he found three tickets on three vehicles after spending a long weekend visiting his son in Modesto. He claims he was only gone from 4 p.m. on a Friday to 6 a.m. Sunday, but in that time he racked up three $100 parking tickets.
He plans to contest the tickets, but the city requires people to pay their parking fines before an appeal hearing is scheduled.
So in protest, he tried to pay the fine in pennies Wednesday.
"I'm just giving them back a little bit of what I get every week," Havens said.
He went to four banks to exchange a portion of his Social Security check for 30,000 pennies, which he delivered to the downtown parking office Wednesday
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afternoon.
Going into it, Havens anticipated a showdown.
"I know they're going to have a fit -- for sure," he said before rolling the 180 pounds of pennies the block and a half from his car to the parking office on Locust Street.
He even brought a letter citing the Uniform Commercial Code that states pennies are money.
"I think pennies are legal tender in the United States and I think they should be accepted," Havens said. "Any government-run operation should have to accept them."
After the parking office supervisor Claudia Carlson told him coins weren't an acceptable form of payment ? the office doesn't take loose change, not just Havens' 30,000 pennies ? he reluctantly rolled the dolly of buckets back to his car.
"Ha ha, I knew that was coming," Havens said.
But his real disappointment was the lack of resolution to the parking problems in his neighborhood. When the pennies weren't accepted, he was given until 5 p.m. Wednesday to pay the $300 fine and decided not to. By not making the payment, Havens' hearing to appeal the tickets wasn't scheduled. He's not sure what will happen next.
"I'm going to let it go to the next level, whatever that is," Havens said, speculating that a warrant may be issued for his arrest. "I guess I'll find out."
But Havens did make one decision Wednesday: to deposit the pennies in his granddaughter's bank account.
