Oakland to raise fee for misusing disabled placards

Oakland's city council is expected to approve a measure Tuesday night that will increase the fine for people who misuse disabled parking placards, by hundreds of dollars.

The measure calls for increasing the fine to $510 for anyone who uses a handicapped parking permit illegally.

Currently, abusers face a $55 fine if they are caught using a placard improperly to park at a meter, and about a $300 fine for parking in a handicap spot.

Merchants and advocates for the disabled support the higher fines.