Re: What's the problem now?
@D.A.M.
Sure there are victims, though the term is perhaps a bit strong. Let us say that there are people who are worse-off under this arrangement than they were before it existed.
Now, I don't live in SF (nor even the US) but I am not so sheltered that I don't know what bad city parking is like.
One potential fall-out from this is that parking spots will end up being occupied for their full allowed time. Perhaps that's not so bad on the surface but what availability there is is helped by the relatively constant coming and going. The less time any individual car stays in a parking spot, the more people can use it through the day.
But think of the knock-on effect with retailers/cafes/restaurants/etc...
The less people there are coming into the area and parking, the less business the local retailers will do. If you drive around for half an hour and can't find a park, you may well leave and that would be money not earned by the shop/cafe you were going to visit.
After a few weekends of such frustration, you'll have plenty of people who just won't bother.
Then, of course, you have the inconvenience for the drivers looking to park and not willing to pay. Again, 'victim' may be a strong word but those people will certainly be in a worse situation than they used to be.
What is happening is simple: a public resource that was free is now being offered on a preferential basis to those willing/able to pay for it.
If you genuinely don't see anything wrong with that then you're free to hold that view but I'd hope you also wouldn't mind if taxis started 'auctioning' trips to the highest bidder - say on a rainy night as the bars empty or at the airport . . .
No 'victims' there either.