CALIFORNIA IN BRIEF : SAN FRANCISCO : Ban on Free Parking Urged in Smog Fight

All free parking at shopping centers, factories and office buildings would be eliminated under a smog-fighting proposal released by the Metropolitan Transportation Commission. The plan calls for charging 60 cents an hour for parking at shopping malls and businesses, including restaurants. Employers also would have to charge workers who drive alone $3 a day. The goal, officials say, is to discourage car use, reduce smog and raise money for improved mass transit. The proposed parking fees could be in place by 1994 and reduce emissions by 6.8%, as part of a series of actions to meet new state clean-air guidelines, the commission said.