Living in the Haight, I don't think I've gone a single day in 22 years without being panhandled, except the days I've stayed inside with a fever of 102.

Yep.

Favorite Haight panhandle: some punkish-looking kids asked me, "Can we have some money to buy drugs?"

I hardly ever get panhandled in Chicago now....

A few months back, I paid over 300 bucks in back taxes to the city of LA on a little known law that says if you earn any money on a 1099, you have to file as a business and pay the city taxes on income. There's a creative artist exemption, which I filed for, but "too late" so I had to pay all these fines and back taxes. I got my license and exemption in the mail soon after.

I just got a letter from the city saying I need to pay $2,335.98 for failing to respond...even though I went to City Hall and paid all fees and taxes in person and received a receipt and all the license paperwork.

Now, I have to either pay this, or send a written application for a hearing to explain myself...or, to actually explain the City's incompetence to a judge.

I am already hanging by a thread with the move and the job stress. This? Awful. It's just awful.

The summer I was in San Luis Obispo, my friend and I were waiting for a bus, and this guys comes up to us and asks, with huge deep breaths at each pause, "Would you marry ... and have children with ... an aging hippie ... from the Woodstock ... era?" We both declined.

That's awful, Allyson! If the world were at all fair you would be able to just mail in a copy of your receipt and be off the hook entirely.

Yeah, "Here's my receipt," really shouldn't require a hearing.

I feel like I need a lawyer. I never feel like I need a lawyer.

Also, the tax is based on them saying I earned over $100,000 every year, for the past three years.

OTOH, if you go down there, it's taken care of, whereas if you send in the receipt, you have to wait for them to get their shit together. I'm dealing with this with the personal property tax on my car. I was like, hello Virginia, I moved in September! I called them and said why did you send me a bill for a car that is no longer in Virginia, that demands payment by October 07, and is postmarked March 4. I sent you a letter to that effect. They said "oh, yeah, we have your letter, but we need you to send us a copy of your registation" I said "well, why didn't you say that in the first damn place. And when I didn't send in the registration, you didn't tell me that was the problem" Now I have to fax a copy of my new car registration. of course, in DC, your registration is a sticker on your windshield.

Also, the tax is based on them saying I earned over $100,000 every year, for the past three years.

go down there, take copies of your tax returns for the last three years. I can only presume that you would not be dealing with the chemical jackholes if you'd been making that kind of money on a 1099.

I am guessing that a well documented written explanation will be the hearing. That is the way my unemployment audit ( due to the city not properly reading the directions for filling out the audit form ) worked.

copies of receipt, lisence and offer to include tax records as needed

hearing doesn't necessarily mean standing in front of a judge , more like reviewed by a judge