Santa Monica parking ticket, issued during Palisades Fire, prompts backlash

LOS ANGELES - As smoke from the devastating Palisades Fire filled the Santa Monica skies, a resident captured footage of a parking enforcement officer issuing a ticket, sparking frustration among locals dealing with the wildfire crisis.

Suzi Mellano, who shared the video on social media, said it was filmed on January 7, while the Palisades Fire continued to threaten Los Angeles County. 

"The [Santa Monica Police Department] was still issuing our weekly street sweeping tickets even though everyone was in fear of losing their homes," Mellano said in a statement to Storyful.

The footage shows someone placing what appears to be a parking ticket on a vehicle’s windshield as the sky looms ominously with wildfire smoke. Mellano’s video quickly gained traction online, with many residents questioning the timing of parking enforcement during a crisis.

Backlash on social media

The video sparked a wave of criticism online. Twitter user @unfollowdan wrote, "Lmfao this should be satire but it isn’t," while another user, @ChrisandJulie, tweeted, "Wow – unbelievable. Seems like all resources should be devoted to assisting with the crisis… not sweeping the streets?"

"Simply inhuman," replied another user. 

Many users expressed disbelief, with some calling for greater prioritization of resources during emergencies, while others simply found the situation absurd given the gravity of the wildfire crisis.

Another user, Charles Conti, shared a similar incident on X, showing what appears to be a parking enforcement officer issuing a ticket in Manhattan Beach as wildfire smoke filled the air.

 "Ridiculous. Same thing this morning in Manhattan Beach," Conti captioned the video, adding to the online backlash.

The Source:

This story is based on reporting from Storyful and social media footage shared by Suzi Mellano.