A new era in Downtown commerce could begin as soon as Tuesday morning, 29 days after the most recent new era in Downtown commerce suffered through a rocky birth eventually leading to a post-natal abortion.
Even though the agenda for Monday night’s 7 o’clock City Council meeting had not been posted by early this afternoon, promised parking meter relief will be on the calendar.
More logically than eating when they are hungry, the four members of the downsized Council – at their final meeting – are expected to approve about a six-week stay of the two most offensive elements of the new regulations.
With their order likely to go into effect immediately, as soon as Tuesday morning Downtown parking meters would close down at their popular previous time of 6 p.m., instead of 11, and Sunday would be restored as a free parking day.
It is not clear how the parking meters dispute will be resolved in mid-May when the topic of Downtown parking returns to the agenda.
Speculation is that evening hours may be modified from 11 o’clock to 8, a common ending time around the metropolitan area. Sources said they had no sense about Sunday’s fate.
After weeks of daily complaining by numerous Downtown entrepreneurs that the stringent new parking meter regulations – implemented March 5 – were damaging their always-delicate customer relations.
When a fleet of owners, virtually all from the Downtown Business Assn., descended on City Hall last Monday, Councilman Andy Weissman swiftly sprang into relief mode, and convinced his colleagues to join him.
“We need time to look at whether extending enforcement hours to 11 may be too severe,” Mr. Weissman told the newspaper this afternoon. “In trying to figure out a middle ground, 8 o’clock is not uncharacteristic of many places in Los Angeles.”
