Officials Get the Signal to Keep Ban on Parking

When Pasadena last July began vigorously enforcing its long-neglected ban against overnight parking on city streets, residents who got $20 parking tickets howled.

The outrage prompted the City Council to consider dumping the 70-year-old law that prohibits parking from 2 a.m. to 6 a.m.

But Tuesday, as resident after resident defended the law, the council found that tradition dies hard in Pasadena.

“I’d hate to see Pasadena become like Los Angeles or the San Fernando Valley,” Carl Berglund said.

“I thought we had much higher aspirations,” added Bill York.

The defenders’ zeal and a survey that showed nearly two-thirds of city residents favor keeping the ban made the council propose only a modification.

The city staff will research how much of the city would be exempted under a suggestion by Councilman Rick Cole that would allow residents in areas zoned for apartments to park on the street but keep the ban in the rest of the city.

In addition, Councilman Isaac Richard proposed giving a break to low-income residents who may not be able to afford the $36 fee now charged for street-parking permits. As many as 3,000 residents have such permits and can park on city streets if they have no other parking.

Temporary permits are also issued for visitors, who can park free up to five days on the street if they give their license-plate numbers to the police.

The council will consider both ideas after the staff prepares additional reports.

Increased enforcement of the ban came last summer after city street-sweeping crews found their path blocked by up to 1,000 illegally parked cars nightly.

Street maintenance crews then began issuing tickets, boosting the $246,000 net income from overnight parking tickets issued by the Police Department to $556,000 annually.

It would cost $1.2 million to drop the ban and post signs on city streets advising residents of street-sweeping nights for their neighborhoods, said Police Lt. Robert Huff. Another $120,000 annually would have to be spent to maintain the signs, he said.

Of the 1,300 people who responded to a survey sent to 6,000 randomly selected households, 65% favored keeping the ban, and only 33% wanted it repealed, according to a city report.

The survey noted that those who wanted the law changed were mainly residents without adequate off-street parking. “This group literally plays overnight street-parking roulette and often loses,” the report said.

Some of those residents spoke Tuesday. Chris Bray of Northwest Pasadena said it was not surprising that homeowners with multi-car garages and long driveways favor keeping the ban, but people such as him, who live in older houses divided into five or six apartments, need to park on the street.

Michael Kasnetsis cited invasion of privacy in the law. “It bothers me that my overnight parking permit has my address on it,” he said.

“It bothers me that I can’t transfer my permit to my roommate. It bothers me that I have to ask the police for a permit for my lady friend to spend the night. It bothers me that they ask why she wants to spend the night.”

Some speakers who favored the ban said it helps keep derelict cars off the streets and provides for cleaner, safer streets. They asked for more enforcement and complained that some cars stay parked for months on city streets.