Politics & Government

Parking Meter Rates to Rise Oct. 1

The Redondo Beach City Council votes to raise parking meter rates throughout the city.

Come Oct. 1, visitors to Riviera Village will be paying a little more to park in spaces with parking meters.

The Redondo Beach City Council on Tuesday approved a 25-cent rate hike for the 2013-2014 fiscal year for all parking meters in the city with a 4-0 vote. Councilman Pat Aust abstained.

The council did not approve all of the recommendations of the city staff, which included raising rates at the meters; increasing the fine for parking meter violations from $40 to $50; increasing street sweeping ticket fines from $45 to $50; enforcing the four-hour limit on parking meters in the triangle lot; and changing the meter enforcement period from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. to midnight.

With the council's decision, parking meter rates in the 2013-2014 fiscal year will be 75 cents in the triangle lot in Riviera Village and $ elsewhere; in the 2014-2015 fiscal year, the rates will rise to $1 in the triangle lot and $1.25 elsewhere. The council also approved increasing the fine for parking meter violations to $50 and enforcing the four-hour limit on parking meters in the triangle.

Additionally, the council directed staff to look into placing the parking meters with orange sleeves that designated parking for those with employee permits in a cluster in the triangle parking lot. Right now, those meters are scattered throughout Riviera Village.

Employees who use their employee parking permits in Riviera Village at the designated meters will be able to stay in those spots for eight hours instead of four.

Riviera Village residents and employees opposed the increase in parking meter rates, as well as the change from 6 p.m. to midnight in the enforcement period.

"Obviously, we're against the enforcement from 6 o'clock," said Riviera Village Business Improvement District representative Bobby Nayebdadash of Sophie's Place. "I do agree with actually enforcing the 4-hour limit."

Former interim City Treasurer Tom Gaian spoke in favor of the proposal.

"My fingerprints are all over this proposal," he said. "When we raised the parking rates on Catalina Avenue in the Village … turnover increased, activity increased and revenue increased … More money makes for more services. Morse services makes for a better city. A better city makes for higher values. Higher values equate to … more real estate sales and that means more revenue for the city."

Other speakers proposed using multispace meters in the area, as well as advocated for smart meters.

The city tested smart meters briefly in 2011, but those tested weren't able to withstand the salt air.



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