Hear hear! My favorite idiotic parking ticket story: back in grad school (at Stanford, so valley people watch out!), I got a $75 parking ticket once at 3am, in a lot for which my car had a valid permit (in student housing)... because I hadn't changed the DMV registration sticker. Mind you, my registration was renewed, I just hadn't put the new sticker on the plate.
Also, it was pouring with rain that night. So they seriously had someone at 3 am, in the pouring rain, shining a flashlight at the license plates of every legally parked car with a valid permit just to try to find an excuse to get people.
As a story with a different outcome, my mom parked in a BART parking lot at around 2:30pm one day. This particular lot became free at 3pm, so she had to pay for that half hour, but couldn't figure out where to pay. She went to the station agent to ask. The agent replied, "Eh, it's really hot out today. There's no way I'm going out there to check people's parking. Don't worry about paying." She did not get a ticket.
Also, it was pouring with rain that night. So they seriously had someone at 3 am, in the pouring rain, shining a flashlight at the license plates of every legally parked car with a valid permit just to try to find an excuse to get people.