Meter was dead on Abbot Kinney and I have the photo. Before I spend an evening on the LADOT site, has contesting one ever actually worked for you?
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Won one for street sweeping because the sign was hidden behind a branch. Photo of the branch, dismissed in three weeks.
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It works, but only if you treat it like paperwork instead of an argument. There are three tiers. Initial Review is free and online, you have 21 days from the citation date, and you upload your photos there. If they uphold it you can request an Administrative Hearing within 21 days of that decision, but you generally have to pay the fine first and get refunded if you win. After that it is Superior Court for a 25 dollar filing fee.
The thing nobody tells you is that fairness is not a defense. Broken meter, obscured sign, wrong plate, wrong location on the ticket, those get dismissed all the time. A friend tried the I was only inside for two minutes angle and got nowhere. With a dead meter and a timestamped photo you have a real shot.
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Never contested one. I just pay it and feel shame.
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It can work and I did it before. The question is, do you have enough evidence? Since you took a picture, why not try?
Otherwise I wouldn’t waste my time.
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I beat one on Grand where the meter was eating quarters and showing zero!! Photo of the screen, photo of the plate, dismissed. The one time I just explained myself, nope.
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I don’t really get tickets. The one time I got one was in Culver City. I approached the lady who wrote it, she didn’t seem very impressed. 
I just paid it, it was my fault anyways for not reading the sign, but I heard of cases where it actually worked.
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Worked for me last year on Rose Ave. I just wrote “meter 4B21 would not accept payment, photo attached”.. and uploaded the pic. Dismissed. Super painless. Don’t overthink the essay.
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Lol, I guess not everyone gets that lucky. Glad it worked out for you. 
I had photos, I reported the meter, I even went to the hearing. Guy looked at his screen for 20 seconds and said the ticket stands.
Where did you upload it?
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It was on the LADOT Initial Review form. That’s the first step of contesting.
I think it was that one: wmq.etimspayments.com/pbw/include/la/complaintform.jsp?complainttype=6
Just enter the citation number and fill out the reason. You can attach a couple of pictures.
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Okay, thanks. I’ll remember that for the next time. I wrote the Parking Violations Bureau directly last time.
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Yup. Takes you a minute and they will follow up. Worth trying. Make sure to attach a picture.
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Let me quote LADT:
A meter is “officially broken” only if it will not accept both coins and credit cards. If one method still works, they expect you to use the other. If both are dead, California Vehicle Code § 22508.5 lets you park only up to the posted time limit — then you still have to move.
For Abbot Kinney that would be a 2-hour limit, typically 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.. So that’s for sure a case I would fight.