Towing Issues: police two without notification, california vehicle code, police towed my car

Question
San Carlos, Ca. police towed my car without giving a notice.  It was parked on a public street.  Yes, it was there 72 hours.  But don't they need to mark the car with a 'warning sticker' prior to it being towed?  They cited California Vehicle code 22657 (k) which states a car and be towed from a HIGHWAY after 72 hours.  This was parked on a city street.  San Carlos municipal code states that a car parked on a STREET or HIGHWAY can be towed after 72 hours.

Can they add "street" to their municipal code?

Seems totally unreasonable that they would underhandedly mark the car on a Wednesday night and tow it on a Monday.  $765 impound fee for one night.  Have they never gone away for a long weekend and left their car on the street?

Thanks for the help.


Answer
A municipality can add to but not superseded a state code. They can add "street" since the code generally deals with highways and roadways. As for the charges that sound ridiculous for towing and one night storage. I wish I was working there I could work one or two days a week. You can find all of the vehicle codes at http://www.dmv.ca.gov/ it is a very helpful site and give the authorized charges and requirements for towing and impound along with the procedure for contesting a tow bill.