Sounds like you're already neck-deep in "parking for the rich only".

I'd be seriously reconsidering plans to do anything where the parking was that expensive.

I agree. The main problem there was that the streets with retail businesses were surrounded by residential streets, and the residential streets were unmetered residential parking only. So there were literally not enough metered spots available.

I'm sure the intention of this scheme is to make you think twice before driving into the city. If you had arrived on foot, you wouldn't have cared how expensive the parking was.

The intention of the scheme is to make scarce parking spaces available by pricing them at the market clearing price.

Honestly, in a city with good transit like SF, you shouldn't be driving to the places you want to go anyways.

That ... doesn't seem that expensive to me, coming from someone that lives in Seattle. Then again, I tend to get the day rates, or the late-night rates, which, if memory serves me, are like $15 for the night, while only staying an hour or two for dinner.