A quiet, apartment complex in Wasco, California is under attack by their tow-happy management. Residents say their cars were wrongfully towed by their leasing office over a sticker that made residents feel vulnerable.

Maria Gutierrez has lived in the complex for several years and never had an issue parking her car in the handicapped spot as long as she had her placard visible. She says management told her she’d be fine as long as the towing company could see it.

Then, she was woken up at 3 a.m. by the sound of her car being towed away for the second time in a month. Management says her car didn’t have the required red sticker on her car, which displayed her apartment number.

Gutierrez and neighbor Maria Nunez said the red sticker displays the apartment number associated with the car, making them vulnerable to bad actors. Another neighbor, Martha Robles, says her lease is being threatened after being a tenant for two years over parking.

The housing authorities say the rules aren’t new

When KGET reporters asked the housing company why people were suddenly being towed, employees remarked the rules weren’t new. They were simply enforcing them.

Meanwhile, residents report owing nearly half a month’s rent in towing fees.

Viewers say the towing may have been illegal

“You can’t tow a vehicle out of a handicapped spot that has disabled tags, regardless of any required additional permit,” wrote a viewer. “That’s not legal.”

Another suggested the towing victim should call a government agency for help.

“Get the ADA involved,” they wrote. “Towing someone with a disability plate in a handicapped parking spot will get someone fired.”

Someone else said having the stickers display the apartment number was dangerous.

“Agree, the stickers need unattached numbers so their complex and apartment number isn’t displayed to the world,” they wrote.