Somewhat OT, but it has general SF guidelines.....

We take our daughter to UCSF for medical care (she has spina bifida) and on one trip the meter maid had our car ticketed and towed because it was illegally parked in a commuter zone. FWIW, this is out near 10th & Irving. I went through the normal appeals process and got a real nasty note from the Dept of Parking and Transportation telling me that I needed to have a more cautious approach to parking in the city. I ended up taking this all the way to court as the no parking signage was clearly obstructed (I took lots of pics to the judge). When my name was called to approach the bench, I didn't even have time to say "Good morning your Honor" before the judge told me that my case was dismissed. He apologized for my inconvenience.

Here is where I still ended up getting screwed. Apparently in San Francisco you must not only appeal any tickets but there is a separate process which must be followed if you are towed. Both are run by the same department but they at totally unresponsive and most certainly not cooperative. Read the fine print on what to do for your appeal.

Remember to state your case clearly and be factual. I would recommend highlighting the facts:
1. You fully cooperated with the officer by producing your license
2. You stopped at the red light before making a legal turn.

If the topic of the illegal U turn comes up, kindly remind the Judge that you were ticketed for running a red light and that the citation makes no mention of a second infraction. Depending upon the mood of the court, you might very politely suggest that the officer may have your case confused with another case. YMMV with this option.

Finally, all of this lovely mess happens at the wonderful 'Hall of Justice'.

HTH,

Todd
Roseville, CA