David Kleinberg parked his minivan at a curbside space in San Francisco about a mile from his house when he and his wife left for a three-week summer vacation to France.

When he got back home, he said he was met with an unexpected "bonjour from the city of San Francisco - a $1,294 parking ticket."

Actually, the ticket itself came with a $90 fine. But then there was the tow charge ($199.25), a 13-day vehicle storage fee ($768.25), a city administrative fee ($186.50) and a lien fee ($50).

Kleinberg didn't park in a bus zone, or in a handicap zone. He didn't block a driveway or the sidewalk, or fail to feed a meter. "Our sin: We parked in a legal parking space causing no harm to others - just didn't know that it would cease to be legal after 72 hours, and the car would be towed," he said.

Kleinberg, who lives in Glen Park, intentionally parked his car on Teresita Boulevard, where he wouldn't have to worry about getting a $55 fine for parking in a street-cleaning zone like he would have closer to home.

Kleinberg's car was towed July 29, but he didn't find out about it until he arrived home Aug. 10 and found a notice in the mail. He bailed out his 2001 Honda minivan that night, not wanting to incur another daily charge of $60 for vehicle storage at Pier 70.

The city contracts with San Francisco Auto Return to tow and store the vehicles of errant parkers. "Next time I will request that S.F. AutoReturn take the car to the Fairmont Hotel, where the daily parking charge is only $50, which includes valet parking," he said, adding that "apparently all you get for $1,300 in S.F. these days is the opportunity to share a delightful bit of sarcasm."

He also decided not to fight the charges, just sound off about them. "The law's the law," he said.

Paul Rose, spokesman for the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency, which runs the city's parking enforcement operation, said officers don't hunt down 72-hour violations on their own but usually are alerted by nearby residents or merchants. The law was put on the books to scoop up abandoned vehicles. A warning was slapped on Kleinberg's car on July 26, and three days later, the car was towed.

"It's unfortunate that this individual had to pay such a steep price, but we have the obligation to respond to complaints," Rose said.

- Rachel Gordon

This week's news

Monday: The Board of Supervisors Land Use Committee will consider at 1 p.m. the Recreation and Park Department proposal to put bocce ball courts at Justin Herman Plaza.

Tuesday: After having to cancel their meeting last Tuesday, the Board of Supervisors has a packed agenda that includes hearing the proposed alcohol fee and the CityPlace development on Mid-Market.

Wednesday: The Board of Supervisors Budget Committee meets at 11 a.m. to consider a management agreement for Harding Park.

Quote of the week

"The bad news for Daly haters is I ain't going anywhere."

Supervisor Chris Daly, on his plans to buy and operate Buck Tavern