BREA : Vote Postponed on Street Parking Fee

After heated testimony from residents accusing the city of trying to make money off the poor, City Council members this week postponed a decision to charge an annual fee for overnight parking on local streets.

“I don’t care what you do here in Brea, you’re not going to turn it into Irvine,” resident Sid Greves told the City Council at its meeting Tuesday night. “You people shouldn’t be voting to destroy the poor people of this town.”

Councilman Carrey J. Nelson agreed with many residents who oppose the city’s proposed ordinance, which calls for a $20 annual fee for a parking permit.

“It’s just not fair,” he said. “This is something we really don’t need. . . . It’s an overburden on the city and the citizens of this city.”

Residents said the proposed parking ordinance will cause financial hardships and said they can’t understand why they would not be allowed to park more than one car in front of their homes.

The ordinance also restricts the number of permits to two per house and one per apartment. All other vehicles would receive parking citations. Repeat violators would face fines of up to $1,000 or jail terms of up to six months for parking on city streets for longer than 30 minutes between 2 and 6 a.m.

The current parking ordinance requires that free, unlimited parking permits be obtained every three years. The law was adopted in 1951.

Jim Cutts, director of development services, said he did not know why the ordinance was originally adopted.

City Manager Frank Benest said the ordinance helps ease concerns of residents who believe it enhances the town’s look and reduces crime. Councilman Burnie Dunlap added: “It does improve property values.”

Police Chief Donald L. Forkus said crime is not lessened in the city as a result of parking permits.

In November, the city had proposed that a fee of $80 be charged for parking permits, but officials asked for changes in the ordinance and postponed making a decision.

The council has again directed city employees to alter the ordinance and bring it back to the council for discussion at a study session Feb. 1 and a vote Feb. 15.