But transportation and parking planners in Burbank and Glendale, citing the tough political climate and opposition from business interests, said there are no immediate plans to increase the number of paid stalls.
In Burbank, where with the exception of brief intervals the city has provided free parking since its inception, instituting a charge and reducing parking requirements would likely be too great a legislative hurdle to clear, Principal Planner David Kriske said.
“It seems Sacramento has a penchant for painting with a broad brush, while it’s the cities that are in a better position to determine local needs,” Burbank Councilman Dave Golonski said.
“If you have a location that’s heavily congested and well-served by public transportation, that theory might work. But in many other parts of the state it won’t.”
Still, city officials as part of the proposed updates to the general plan will include language stating that “in appropriate situations, under appropriate conditions, it’s the best way to manage the situation,” Burbank Deputy City Planner Michael Forbes said.
Lowenthal, in trying to quash misconceptions that the bill would require cities and counties to charge for parking, reiterated that free parking carries hidden costs, including those passed on to consumers and in the form of reduced wages.
The bill requires any lease that the state enters into on or after Jan. 1, 2011, to list the full cost of parking spaces as a separate line item, and allows cities and counties to implement measures to reduce or eliminate parking subsidies. Participants would qualify for additional state funding for parking garages and transportation programs, and could receive bonus points, or credits, for contested state grants.
Despite worries that revenues would need to be folded back into enforcement efforts, local authorities would be authorized to allocate the money to certain districts or programs that reduce parking demand.
But opponents characterized the bill as yet another attempt by state lawmakers to interfere with local transportation officials who command a better understanding of where paid parking could be implemented.
Glendale, which recently instituted paid parking along Brand Boulevard and across commercial stretches of the city, will not look to charge for parking in business districts, such as Kenneth Village, Adams Square or Montrose, said the city’s traffic and safety administrator, Jano Baghdanian.
The city has adhered to a policy that stipulates prime parking locations charge the most and that the price falls as motorists move away from the downtown business hub, including free 90-minute parking garages, Baghdanian said.
