It seems like they are taking this much more seriously. In the past, they just gave tickets. Makes me wonder if some of the public safety folks have flexed their muscles. It wouldn't surprise me if they towed cars that park illegally and create a safety risk.
It was a no-brainer. The cost of a parking ticket was half what it would cost for a spot in a general public lot, so people just parked illegally wherever they could on side streets (or on grass medians).
The parking fine increase could have been a lot worse. They looked at what other university cities have done. One was Berkeley, where a ticket on a Cal game day could run up to $225.