In The News
Parking fines going up in city
Parking in City Plaza garage to be cheaper
Thursday March 26, 2009
By By JON CHOWN OF THE REGISTER-PAJARONIAN
The Watsonville Register-Pajaronian, March 26, 2009
Parking fines going up in city
Parking in City Plaza garage to be cheaper
After much debate and a split vote by the City Council Tuesday, the City of Watsonville will raise parking violation fines to the highest levels on the Monterey Bay.
Parking in City Plaza garage to be cheaper
After much debate and a split vote by the City Council Tuesday, the City of Watsonville will raise parking violation fines to the highest levels on the Monterey Bay.
Watsonville's fine for general parking violations will be $44, illegally parking in a handicapped spot will cost $296, fines for abandoned vehicles will cost $121 and late fees will cost $50. The rise will offset a $3 increase by the state that it receives from each parking fee, and will raise additional revenue as well.
City staff had requested a larger raise, lifting general parking violations to $50, which would have meant more than $200,000 more for the city on top of $30,000 for the state, but Councilmembers Greg Caput and Luis Alejo were against it. "Am I the only one who has gotten a parking ticket?" Caput asked. "I think $50 is maybe too much. I want to encourage people to go downtown ; if we get too much on the parking tickets, people are going to go to shopping centers instead."
Alejo was concerned with fining the residents of Watsonville who could least afford it those living in crowded neighborhoods where parking is a problem.
"Somebody in a neighborhood with limited parking could get two tickets and they might be taking home $900 a month," Alejo said. "People are really hurting out there. ... I'm not going to try to pass on the city's budget problems onto the backs of the people who can least afford it."
Mayor Antonio Rivas and Councilmember Manuel Bersamin both offered a compromise , while members Emilio Martinez and Kimberly Petersen favored keeping the increase as suggested.
"This is a choice if you don't obey the rules of the road, you pay a ticket, that's that," Martinez said. "I say we go with it."
Petersen suggested the city look at issuing more residential permits for the areas impacted by parking, but felt there was plenty of free parking downtown for people who wanted to avoid getting a ticket .
Rivas suggested raising the handicapped parking violations to $310, general parking violations to just $40, abandoned vehicle fines to $125 and expired time violations to $50. Bersamin , who was visibly ill and wearing a down coat, later countered with the numbers that passed.
The new fees are now the highest in the region, but City Manager Carlos Palacios said other municipalities are considering increases and the fees will be much in line with others soon enough. Currently, Santa Cruz charges $288 for illegally parking in a handicapped zone, $38 for late fees and $43 for general violations. Capitola charges $375 for handicapped parking violations , $31 for late fees and $35 for general violations.
Martinez said residents shouldn't focus on what other cities are charging.
"We tend to use other cities for examples and sometimes it's good and sometimes we just need to have our city standing on its own merits ," he said.
The change must be approved a second time by the council and should appear on the consent agenda at the next meeting. From then, it will take 30 days to take effect. New rules at the parking garage
The city also changed the fee structure of the city's parking garage at the Civic Plaza. Instead of the hourly rates the garage now charges, there will be a $5 fee for all-day parking. Parking will be free for up to two hours; library visitors will be able to park for free for three hours. Currently, the garage allows visitors to park for free for the first hour and then charge $1 per hour. All-day parking costs $8.
The booth at the entrance will no longer be staffed. Instead , the garage will be patrolled hourly and video cameras will be installed.