The eighth time was the charm.
Last Saturday, the annual Culver City Car Show took place Downtown.
Two Monday nights ago, the City Council rewarded the Car Show “Event Operator” and Culver City’s Parking Enforcement for last year’s poor performance in fulfilling their obligation to help protect the Downtown neighborhood from intrusion.
People looking for free and convenient parking had just parked in the residential neighborhood for the last 7 years. Last year it was advertised:
“No Car Show parking is permitted in residential neighborhood…”
A total of 32 “Resident Only Parking” signs were required to be placed in the neighborhood.
No parking permit should have meant an instant ticket. The “Event Operator” allegedly delivered parking permits to the entire Downtown neighborhood. My block and others never received any.
Two Mondays ago the City Council agenda included an item that would eliminate “Special Parking Enforcement on the Day of the Annual Car Show Downtown.” Last year only one ticket was written when more than 50 cars were parked without permits.
Conditions of approval related to neighborhood parking were removed. No resident-only signs. No parking passes. Even with those gifts to the “Event Operator” by the City Council, they are still in violation of three of the conditions of their permit for the Car Show.
Two major conditions were related to neighborhood protection. Condition No. 6 was:
“All advertisements and publicity shall indicate that Event Parking is available only at designated parking lots and parking structures. Additionally, all such advertisements and publicity shall notify the public that there is no parking in residential areas.”
Condition No. 34:
“Public Notification: The Event Operator will release, at his cost, a public announcement notice in the local newspaper that includes a map two weeks before the event to run once each week, providing information, a map and the notice that there is no Car Show parking in the residential community. A copy of proof of publication to be provided to Traffic Engineering Manager.”
Both conditions where ignored.
After seven years, it was decided to simply enforce the existing Permit Parking zones.
What a concept.
The focused enforcement resulted in 54 tickets. Of those, 38 were related to hourly/permit violations.
Now can Parking Enforcement sustain this level of enforcement of the current Residential Permit zone signage when the city eliminates two hours of free parking in the structures?
Mr. Anderson, a 25-year homeowner, may be contacted at caryanderson@ca.rr.com
