Title
Sheriff’s Office and Department of Transportation recommending the Board adopt and authorize the Chair to sign Resolution 111-2021, increasing the fees on the Parking Penalty Fee Schedule to help deter unsafe parking in no-parking zones.
FUNDING: N/A
Body
DISCUSSION / BACKGROUND
Within the last five years, there has been a rise in the recreational use of various county, state, and private land areas. Due to the lack of designated and available parking spaces, the increase in visitors has caused motorists to park illegally onto public roads and highways. Vehicles are parking in Board-sanctioned no-parking zones. The existing penalties for no-parking zone violations do not appear to be enough of a deterrent to stop vehicles from parking in these areas. Law enforcement has seen the public blatantly park in no-parking zones that are clearly marked. Various agencies including the Sheriff’s Office, the Department of Transportation, the California Highway Patrol (CHP), and the Supervisors have received complaints from the public regarding nuisance and safety concerns.
The Sheriff’s Office faces challenges during the winter season with visitors parking in no-parking zones near Camp Sacramento, Highway 50 at the Summit, and multiple other locations along Highway 50 between Meyers and the “Y” (Intersection of Highway 50, Lake Tahoe Blvd, and Highway 89). Vehicles are often parked on the side of the road obstructing traffic, blocking roadways, or impeding on residential property. In the summer months, violations are concentrated in the greater Camp Richardson area in South Lake Tahoe (SLT). Some recent examples of no-parking violations are people parking on Highway 89 at Emerald Bay, wintertime snow operations in SLT and Tahoma roadways (County Ordinance 10.12.180 and 10.12.184), Sawmill Rd., Lake Tahoe Blvd., Bayne Rd., Pedro Hill Rd., State Hwy 49 at the American River Confluence, and many others. These violations are becoming more frequent and take up law enforcement resources with no impact on deterring the public from parking in these areas. In South Lake Tahoe residents have noticed that CHP resources are being tied up with no-parking tickets on a weekly basis instead of being available for other safety operations. For example, CHP wrote 400 no-parking tickets in the SLT basin in January 2021 alone.
A fee study was conducted where a comparison of parking violations were reviewed from various other tourist destinations in the United States which included Moab, Utah; Telluride, Colorado; Monterey, California; Bar Harbor, Massachusetts; Cannon Beach, Oregon; Brecken Ridge, Colorado; Sonoma, California; and Nantucket, Massachusetts. We have found the fees proposed in this Parking Penalty Fee Schedule are in line with what other jurisdictions are charging.
It is recommended that the fees on the Parking Penalty Fee Schedule be increased to help deter parking in these areas.
ALTERNATIVES
N/A
PRIOR BOARD ACTION
N/A
OTHER DEPARTMENT / AGENCY INVOLVEMENT
County Counsel
CAO RECOMMENDATION / COMMENTS
Approve as recommended.
FINANCIAL IMPACT
N/A. There is no fiscal impact associated with revising the penalty schedule. If the increase curtails illegal parking, violation penalty revenue may decline. Conversely, if the increased penalty does not curtail illegal parking, revenue could increase.
CLERK OF THE BOARD FOLLOW UP ACTIONS
N/A
STRATEGIC PLAN COMPONENT
Public Safety, Infrastructure, Good Governance
CONTACT
Rafael Martinez, Director
Department of Transportation
Bryan Golmitz, Undersheriff
El Dorado County Sheriff's Office