Pasadena to Step Up Parking Enforcement

They may be mild-mannered street maintenance workers by day, but starting July 1, eight Public Works Employees will turn into parking enforcers.

And residents who have long ignored the city’s 40-year prohibition on overnight street parking had better watch out.

The city’s Public Works Department, in an effort to improve street cleaning services, is launching a one-year pilot program in which eight employees will take over the Police Department’s role in issuing $20 citations for overnight parking. For the last few weeks, the workers have been trained in ticket-writing techniques. They will take turns acting as nightly parking enforcers and will be paid overtime.

A longstanding city ordinance prohibits parking on city streets between 2 a.m. and 6 a.m. without a permit.

Officials at the Pasadena Police Department admit, however, that enforcing the ordinance has not been their most pressing priority.

“We don’t have the time that it would take to really enforce this,” Sgt. Mike Vandergrift said. “This is a wonderful idea. . . . It will give us a little more time for other things.”

The city each year issues about 2,500 free overnight permits to people in special circumstances, such as those who live in neighborhoods with many apartment buildings or no driveways. And some streets are exempt because of a lack of off-street parking. Signs will be posted in these areas explaining when the streets will be cleaned.

Public works officials say an estimated 800 to 1,000 cars park on Pasadena streets each night without permits.

“We just cannot clean the streets this way,” said Ivory Herrin, who oversees the city’s street sweeping division. “All we want is for people to get off the streets so we could clean them.”

A report prepared for the Board of Directors said the program will raise about $60,000 in revenue this fiscal year from the tickets issued. Most of the money will be used for program expenses, such as signs, tickets and overtime, said Tom Wood, director of public works.

Wood said the pilot program may be extended, depending on how successful it is.