Oakland mayoral candidate Joe Tuman made a big splash Friday with a message on the marquee of the Grand Lake Theatre that not only takes aim at competitors Mayor Jean Quan and Councilwoman Rebecca Kaplan, but at a city law hated by voters: skyrocketing parking fines.

“Never Forget!” it blared in bold letters. “Both Kaplan and Quan voted to inflict their parking extortion on Oakland.”

Tuman arrived at the theater on Friday flanked by supporters to announce a plan to bring relief to Grand-Lakeshore merchants who say the cost of a parking ticket —$58 — and aggressive parking enforcement discourage people from patronizing the shopping district.

He pledged to reduce parking ticket fines to $20, start enforcement hours two hours later (at 10 a.m.) and stop them one hour earlier (at 5 p.m.), and even remove parking meters, among other ideas.

But Tuman needs to remember that policy matters need approval from the City Council. Tuman — and every other candidate — is willing to promise the world if they think it’ll get them elected. Still, reaching out to the business community is a smart campaign ploy I haven’t heard from his competitors.

Theater owner Allen Michaan, who has used the marquee to make political statements in the past, said he lost 40 percent of his customers in 2009 after the city raised parking rates to $2 an hour, along with ticket prices. The city then beefed up its parking enforcement division and went after expired parking spaces with a vengeance.

Since 2004, revenues from parking fees in Oakland have risen by 37 percent, Tuman said.

“It's time to stop balancing the city budget on the backs of people just trying to do some downtown shopping, enjoy a nice meal out or catch a movie,” he said. “Oakland needs a comprehensive —resident- and business-friendly — parking plan.”

There's no telling if the marquee message will resonate with voters, but the traffic division of the Oakland Public Works Agency estimates that more than 25,000 motorists pass by the theater at Grand and Lake Park avenues daily.

Meanwhile, Tuman’s rivals are also looking to attract attention.

Libby Schaaf, one of two Oakland City Council members seeking the job, made news Monday when Gov. Jerry Brown endorsed her mayoral run. Schaaf is also running a TV ad that say it’s “hella time” for change in Oakland.

Dan Siegel, a longtime civil rights attorney, activist and former school board member, has position papers on issues from immigration law to creating a high-speed broadband Internet service owned and operated by the city.

Quan’s door-to-door campaigning brought her to Chronicle colleague Carolyn Jones’ front porch last week. When the reporter identified herself, Quan responded in typical tone-deaf fashion.

“Oh, the Evil Empire,” she said, before launching into her pitch to ask for her vote.

Jones followed Quan to her next stop: a home with “Bryan Parker for Mayor” signs all over the front lawn. Quan informed the homeowner that she was wasting her vote on Parker, and then made a pitch for her No. 2 vote in the city’s ranked-choice voting system.

The woman chuckled before explaining that she was supporting Parker because he was running against Quan.

Quan then moved on, waving to a resident sitting on the porch smoking a cigarette.

“Hello, sir,” the mayor called out. It was a woman.

Finally, there is Rebecca Kaplan, who leads the field in voter polls.

Kaplan has proposed recruiting and hiring homegrown residents to the Oakland Police Department and said in her press release that only 8 percent of officers live in the city.

It's a sound idea andone I agree with, but there is a catch:

Unfortunately, residency requirements for municipal employees in California are against the law, so it's difficult to understand how Kaplan’s policy would work.

Chip Johnson is a San Francisco Chronicle columnist. His column runs on Tuesday and Friday. E-mail: chjohnson@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @chjohnson