Plain-language guides for people who were towed, and the audits, reports and court rulings behind them. Each summary is ours; follow the link to read the original.
Newest first. Government reports are public records; the others belong to their authors, so we link to them and do not post copies.
Follows one person's years-long search for a towed RV and reports that SJPD said its tow and impound data was still mostly on paper and not regularly recorded in its records system.
Why it matters: Shows why tow records were hard to get before the 2025 electronic tow slip.
The article names a private person and a tow company owner; we do not repeat them.
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Looks at the six zone tow contractors, found contract violations by two of them, and says the City lacked usable data on towed vehicles. It notes that CHP-approved tow and storage rates in San Jose were comparable to nearby cities.
Why it matters: Explains how San Jose's police tow rates and contracts are set.
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TV news report on the same 2018 audit findings about San Jose's release fee.
Why it matters: A second news account of the audit.
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News coverage of the vehicle abatement audit and its finding that the release fee was based on too much officer time.
Why it matters: Context for the 2019 fee cut.
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Finds San Jose's cost to get a car back after one day of storage ($639.50 with a citation) higher than other large California cities, mainly because of the City's release fee, and recommends recalculating that fee and helping low-income owners.
Why it matters: Led to the cut in San Jose's release fee from $290 to $122.
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