LAKE FOREST : 2 Officials to Deal With School Parking

With the school year approaching, the City Council is trying to mediate a dispute between El Toro High School officials and neighboring residents over parking.

By mid-school year, when sophomores get their licenses, the school parking lot fills up and the extra cars move into surrounding neighborhoods, irritating homeowners who complain to City Hall.

The City Council, in an effort Tuesday to try to solve the problem, appointed council members Ann Van Haun and Kathryn McCullough to meet with residents, students and school officials.

“There are a lot of ideas being tossed around,” Van Haun said. But, she added, “there seems to be no understanding of one another’s point of view.”

Van Haun said residents complain students use up all available parking in front of their homes and are occasionally verbally abusive.

In some cases, students have received parking tickets or had their cars towed, particularly on adjoining private streets governed by the Lake Forest II Homeowners Assn.

Principal Jack Clement said the high school parking lot runs about 200 to 300 spaces short during the second semester.

“The parking situation is that we just don’t have enough available spaces,” Clement said. “In the long term, one of two things has to happen. Either free up more street parking or somehow create additional parking.”

Also on Tuesday, the council eased a no-parking restriction on Romera Place near the high school, allowing permit parking for residents and their guests.