On June 25, I parked my car on Main Street in front of the Vintage Lounge and was told by a young girl that I had to pay $5 as the space was for valet parking only. I explained to her that it was a public street and I would not pay for valet parking on a public street and that she should call her employer and have him explain to me how legally he could charge a fee.

I proceeded to have dinner at Hauck's on the corner. After eating, I came out to a police car parked behind my car. The officer was very polite and explained to me that at this time the City has not put No Parking signs up so it is legal to park where the valet parking signs are without being extorted by greed.

I feel the people should be aware of this and they do not have to pay a valet to park their car in a public parking space and should not be harassed for doing so.

Also, the question I have is will the taxpayers have to pay for the signs or will the private business be given the bill to pay for them?  It looks like the City Council is supporting private business with public funds.

I was told by the office that the police department received numerous calls on this issue. At the time he was talking to me I received an email from Nextdoor Turlock saying someone was trying to enter homes in my neighborhood; his time would have been better spent looking into real crime issues rather than dealing with an illegal parking scam.

— Wallace Sward