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Board upholds SFPD revocation of Jose’s Towing permits after multiple public complaints
Summary
After an evidentiary hearing featuring numerous public complaints alleging wrongful tows, inflated fees, and solicitation, the San Francisco Board of Appeals voted on June 20 to deny Jose Badillo’s appeal and uphold the Police Department’s revocation of his tow‑company permits.
The San Francisco Board of Appeals on June 20 denied an appeal by Jose Badillo (doing business as Jose’s Towing) and upheld the San Francisco Police Department’s prior revocation of his tow‑operator and tow‑car firm permits.
The police department presented evidence including sworn statements and witnesses; Officer Rob Forneris summarized multiple customer complaints, and representatives from rental company Enterprise (Ryan Williams) recounted two incidents where vehicles allegedly were towed without authorization and in one case recovered only after payment of an elevated fee ($5,500). Victims and other motorists gave public testimony describing short restaurant visits followed by immediate tows, rapid removal times (minutes), inconsistent documentation, long holds of vehicles and aggressive collection practices.
Appellant counsel Roseanne Torres responded with job orders and business records she said showed authorized tows in several of the disputed incidents and argued some complaints resulted from nighttime tow logistics and customer unavailability. She also argued some allegations post‑dating the police revocation hearing should not be considered. Police witnesses and CHP representatives described citations previously issued to Jose’s employees under California Vehicle Code section 22513 (unauthorized solicitation at CHP scenes) and described a pattern of complaints that continued after the department’s initial revocation action.
After deliberation, the board voted to deny the appeal and uphold the Police Department’s revocation, with Commissioners recording votes in favor of upholding the revocation. The board cited the sufficiency of evidence presented at the police revocation hearing as the basis for its decision.
What happens next: the revocation of Jose’s Towing permits stands; the decision will affect Jose’s ability to operate tow services that require city permits. The transcript documents numerous consumer complaints that the police and CHP cited in support of revocation.
