Time marches on: Parking meters in political dispute

By John Howard - Capitol Weekly | 08/21/13 12:00 AM PST
(Editor's Note: The following story appeared originally in California City News.)

Most people know little about parking meters except that they always run fast.

But those meters have figured in a political dispute this year pitting motorists against the cities, the cities against the state and the drivers against just about everybody. Gov. Brown, meanwhile, has weighed in on the side of the drivers.

At issue is what happens when a driver parks at a broken meter? How is the charge set? Does the motorist get a ticket, even though the elapsed time is unknown? Some drivers say they get gouged and they have no recourse. Some cities say the meters are deliberately broken so drivers will escape paying.

For the cities, the answer is simple: It’s up to them to decide...

...The governor disagreed.

He signed legislation, AB 61 by Assemblyman Mike Gatto, D-Los Angeles, requiring the cities to have a uniform policy statewide. The new law takes effect Jan. 1 and will remain in effect for three years unless otherwise renewed by lawmakers. It allows a motorist to park in a space with a broken meter for up to the maximum amount of time set by parking enforcement officials, without getting a ticket.

Gatto said his bill was prompted in part by an NBC report in L.A. that showed the city had issued 17,000 parking tickets in a single year for meters that were reported as malfunctioning.

“’Local control’ does not provide a right to fleece taxpayers,” he said in a written statement following the governor’s Aug. 12 action. “The question of parking at a broken meter should not be up for review or reconsideration every six months, nor should motorists be subject to confusing ordinances as they drive from city to city.”

Traditionally, the cities operate the meters, enforce the parking ordinances, set the rates and decide how to handle the money they collect. It’s been like that since the 1930s, when traffic-clogged, revenue-starved cities saw the potential in parking meters. In a city like Los Angeles, with some 38,000 parking meters and some $150 million annually from parking tickets, this means big money and major government activity that interacts in a direct way with the citizenry. At any one time, perhaps 10 percent of the meters are broken, although the breakage rate for the new electronic meters is far less -- of the thousands of new meters only a handful have broken, the city says.

In crowded, space-limited San Francisco, parking enforcement is aggressive, partly because it is seen as an anti-congestion tool. In San Francisco, they take parking violations seriously, with fines ranging from $46 for a simple transgression, $74 for an expired meter in the downtown core and $880 for misusing a handicapped placard.

The cities see parking enforcement as part of local jurisdiction. When meters are broken, a motorist can leave a note on the car explaining the situation, and that typically avoids a potential ticket – if the motorist doesn’t stay in the space longer than the legal limit that would have applied with the meter in place.

A flickr user, Atwater Village Newbie, posted this photo of a
broken parking meter, along with the question,
"Why are so many parking meters along Glendale Boulevard in
Atwater Village so often out of order?"
(Photo from www.flickr.com/)

The problem is, the meters get broken and aren’t speedily fixed.

“We have a severe problem with the meters always being broken,” said Luis Lopez, a board director of the Chamber of Commerce in Atwater Village, a community of about 16,000 in northeast Los Angeles. “The city of Los Angeles is not very quick to fix those meters. There could be a $250 fine for parking at a broken meter and the city wouldn’t fix them.” The high fine and the broken meters discourage people from parking and patronizing businesses, which is at the heart of Lopez’s concern.

“Parking is a big issue in our community. As far as business owners go, we rely on good parking,” he added.

Last year, a bill similar to Gatto’s AB 61 was approved, SB 1388 by Sen. Mark DeSaulnier, D-Concord, which allowed cities to participate in to a statewide parking meter enforcement regulation. But Gatto said loopholes in the law enabled cities to restrict parking, prompting the latest bill.

The cities had signed off on the earlier legislation, because the locals could decide whether to opt in – or not.

“Triple A came to us because their members were expressing frustration because they didn’t know what the statewide policy was,” said Jennifer Whiting of the League of California Cities. “In some cities you could park, in some cities you couldn’t park. In particular, Mr. Gattos’ bill was promoted in the L.A. area, and L.A. had taken a second look at the ordinance.”

After receiving complaints from motorists, the L.A. City Council repealed the ordinance allowing ticketing at broken meters, but left open the possibility of revisiting the issue after six months. Gatto’s bill bars L.A. from looking at the issue gain in six months...

You can read the rest of the article by visiting Capitol Weekly's website HERE

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Mike Gatto chairs the Appropriations Committee in the California Assembly. He represents Burbank, Glendale, La Cañada Flintridge, La Crescenta, Montrose, and the Los Angeles neighborhoods of Atwater Village, East Hollywood, Franklin Hills, Hollywood Hills, Los Feliz, and Silver Lake.

PRESS RELEASE: MIKE GATTO’S LEGISLATION TO END UNFAIR PARKING TICKETS SIGNED BY GOVERNOR BROWN

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                                  Contact:  Justin Hager (818) 558-3043

August 12, 2013                                                                                                                     Mobile (415) 889-9762

Mike Gatto’s Legislation to End Unfair Parking Tickets SIGNED BY GOVERNOR BROWN

Creates uniform statewide policy, binding on all cities

Sacramento, CA – Assemblyman Mike Gatto’s (D-Los Angeles) legislation to prohibit local governments from fleecing motorists who park at broken parking meters was signed by Governor Brown today.  Gatto introduced the bill in January 2013 due to outrage, both popular and personal, at cities who were changing their parking laws to make them unfair to motorists.  The measure will ensure cities such as Los Angeles fix their broken meters in a responsive and timely manner by prohibiting them from ticketing cars parked at such meters.

In response to Assemblyman Gatto’s legislation, the Los Angeles City Council rushed to temporarily repeal their ordinance that allows for ticketing at broken meters, but voted to preserve their ability to reinstate the unfair policy after a six-month trial.  AB 61 would eliminate this authority and allow motorists to park in spaces controlled by a broken meter for the maximum time allowed by the meter.

“'Local control' does not provide a right to fleece taxpayers," said Gatto.  “The question of parking at a broken meter should not be up for review or reconsideration every six months, nor should motorists be subject to confusing ordinances as they drive from city to city.  It’s time to end this unfair practice throughout California.”

AB 61 guarantees that parking spots remain available to the motorists, shop owners, and small businesses that rely on them, even when the meter is not working properly.   This was the law in California from 1935 to 2012, until a few cities began considering ordinances to reverse it, and the Los Angeles City Council actually passed an ordinance allowing for the ticketing of drivers who park at broken meters.

“Taxpayers already pay for street maintenance, meter installation, and meter upkeep,” said Gatto.  “Local governments should take responsibility and keep parking meters in good working order, not squeeze a double-penalty out of cash-strapped citizens.”

An NBC4 investigative report found that, in a single year, more than 17,000 parking tickets had been issued for meters that had been reported to the City of Los Angeles as malfunctioning or broken.  The overwhelming majority of these meters were not intentionally broken by motorists but, rather, had internal malfunctions which the city had failed to fix.  As cities transition from traditional meters to electronic ATM-like parking kiosks, which are more durable but subject to the intricacies of complex electronics and the whim of Internet connections, this pattern is expected to stay the same.

“Forcing a motorist to drive around aimlessly in search of a parking spot is not healthy for the driver or for the environment,” said Gatto.  “And it’s just wrong to force a driver into an expensive lot when perfectly good spots are available on the street.”

The law will go into effect on January 1, 2014.

Mike Gatto is the Chairman of the Appropriations Committee in the California State Assembly.  He represents Burbank, Glendale, La Cañada Flintridge, La Crescenta, Montrose, and the Los Angeles neighborhoods of Atwater Village, East Hollywood, Franklin Hills, Hollywood Hills, Los Feliz, and Silver Lake.  www.asm.ca.gov/gatto

# # #

LA TIMES: L.A. council ends ticketing of drivers who park at broken meters

L.A. traffic officer Richard Garcia walks past the city's new, high-tech parking meters. The new meters are so reliable that the City Council has decided that drivers who park at broken meters won't be ticketed.
GLENN KOENIG, LOS ANGELES TIMES - July 31, 2013, 9:36 p.m.

BY LAURA J. NELSON - July 31, 2013, 9:39 p.m.

For the last three years, drivers who left their cars at broken parking meters in Los Angeles risked getting a ticket. It was an unpopular enforcement policy, but one that officials said was needed to scare off drivers who broke meters or wrapped them in bags to avoid paying to park.

But on Wednesday, the City Council unanimously agreed to reverse course, saying the policy is unnecessary because new, high-tech parking meters have made a dramatic difference in the equipment's reliability...

...When motorists were allowed to park for free at broken meters — and the devices accepted only coins — roughly 10% to 12% were broken at any time.

"Smart Meter" - Courtesy LA Times

But the 38,000 so-called "smart meters" Los Angeles has installed since 2010 immediately alert repairmen when coin slots jam or the new credit-card readers stop working. Officials say that feature, and the fact the new meters are harder to damage, has raised the city's meter operability rate to 99.9996%. Meters are repaired within a few hours, officials said.

"The meters have never worked better," Transportation Department engineer Dan Mitchell said at a recent meeting with city lawmakers.

The Transportation Department will report back to the City Council in six months on the effects of Wednesday's policy change, including whether vandalism increased...

...Even if the meter is broken, the department said, drivers can stay only as long as is posted — not indefinitely.

The council also voted 12 to 1 to recommend that Gov. Jerry Brown veto Assembly Bill 61, sponsored by Assemblyman Mike Gatto (D-Los Angeles), which would ban tickets at broken meters statewide. Councilman Paul Krekorian said regulating parking meter violations is a matter for local government.

Gatto criticized the council vote in a statement, saying " 'local control' does not provide a right to fleece taxpayers." Taxpayers already pay for street maintenance, meter installation and meter upkeep, he said. "Cities should take responsibility and keep parking meters in good working order, not squeeze a double-penalty out of cash-strapped citizens."

Newly seated Councilman Bob Blumenfeld cast the only vote against the veto request. He supported Gatto's bill as a member of the state Assembly.

laura.nelson@latimes.com

You can read more at http://touch.latimes.com/#section/-1/article/p2p-76870153/

# # #

Mike Gatto is the Chairman of the Appropriations Committee in the California State Assembly.  He represents Burbank, Glendale, La Cañada Flintridge, La Crescenta, Montrose, and the Los Angeles neighborhoods of Atwater Village, East Hollywood, Franklin Hills, Hollywood Hills, Los Feliz, and Silver Lake.  www.asm.ca.gov/gatto 

PRESS ENTERPRISE EDITORIAL: If meters are broken, don’t fine motorists

I'm excited to have the support of the Press Enterprise in my efforts to end ticketing at broken parking meters.

THE PRESS-ENTERPRISE July 08, 2013; 05:27 PM

California drivers should not face fines for parking conditions outside of their control. Gov. Jerry Brown should sign a bill that strengthens a ban on fines for parking in spaces with broken parking meters. Local government should keep meters in good repair, not use broken meters as a way to pry more money out of unwary drivers.

The Senate last week approved AB 61, by Assemblyman Mike Gatto, D-Los Angeles, sending the bill to the governor. This legislation would for three years prohibit local fines for parking beside a broken meter. Current state law bars cities and counties from levying fines for parking at defective meters, but also allows local governments to opt out and apply different rules. Some cities, most notably Los Angeles, have enacted ordinances that fine drivers who park at broken meters — though how many jurisdictions have their own rules is not clear.

But there is nothing fair about fining drivers who cannot pay for parking because of a malfunctioning meter. Such charges make parking needlessly annoying for drivers, especially in areas with limited parking space. Motorists either have to waste time driving around in search of another spot, or park by a broken meter and risk a fine. Businesses also worry that busted meters in front of their stores or offices can complicate customer parking — and potentially drive away commerce. Fining drivers because government equipment has malfunctioned is hardly a welcoming gesture.

Such fines also create a perverse incentive for government to move slowly on fixing meters. Cities and counties can rake in more money from parking fines than from parking fees. Parking at a metered space costs at most a few dollars, but fines can be much more expensive: Los Angeles’ fine for using a space with a broken meter, for example, runs upward of $60. Los Angeles officials said last year that lifting the fine for broken meters would “cost” the city up to $5 million a year.

AB 61, however, would give local government a powerful reason to keep parking meters in working order.
Meanwhile, those who parked next to busted meters for longer than the posted time limit would still face fines. A meter malfunction should not provide a free pass to hold a spot indefinitely.

Local governments claim that if the state precludes fines for parking next to broken meters, people will vandalize the devices to avoid parking fees. But there is little evidence to support that contention, and meter sabotage does not seem to be an issue for cities that do not levy such fines now. Besides, the penalty for vandalism carries a base fine of up to $1,000, a far steeper cost than simply paying to park. And AB 61 would sunset in three years, time enough to gather evidence on whether meter vandalism is a valid concern.
At the same time, AB 61 would create more uniform parking rules in a state with a mobile population, and end the practice of punishing drivers for malfunctioning meters. The bill offers an approach that is fairer and more sensible than a patchwork of local meter rules, and the governor should sign it.

You can read more at http://www.pe.com/opinion/editorials-headlines/20130708-editorial-if-meters-are-broken-dont-fine-motorists.ece

Mike Gatto is the Chairman of the Appropriations Committee in the California State Assembly.  He represents Burbank, Glendale, La Cañada Flintridge, La Crescenta, Montrose, and the Los Angeles neighborhoods of Atwater Village, East Hollywood, Franklin Hills, Hollywood Hills, Los Feliz, and Silver Lake.  www.asm.ca.gov/gatto 

OPINION LA: L.A.'s broken-parking-meter scheme may soon expire

Excerpt from Patt Morrison's *great* column on local parking woes. Yes, Cool Hand Luke is one of my all-time faves... And yes, I've gone through my share of maddening little nuisances based on our less sensible laws.  So frustrating!

A Westwood man feeds one of the newfangled L.A. city parking meters, this one in downtown Los Angeles.
The meter also takes credit cards. (Patrick D. Fallon / For The Times / May 31, 2013)

By Patt Morrison

July 8, 2013, 12:04 p.m.
This post has been updated and corrected, as indicated below.

Remember the scene early on in “Cool Hand Luke” when Paul Newman whacks the heads off those parking meters?

I loved it. You did too -- admit it.

I don’t know whether that’s one of Mike Gatto’s favorite movies, but I hope so. He’s the Los Angeles Democratic assemblyman who wrote the bill that would smack down cities like L.A. that ticket people for parking at meters that turn out to be broken. L.A. sticks Angelenos with a $73 ticket.

It’s one of the city’s more cynical ways of making money, and Gatto wants it to stop. We already pay, as he points out, “for street maintenance, meter installation and meter upkeep.” Cities should spend their time and treasure keeping the meters working, “not squeez[ing] a double penalty out of cash-strapped citizens.”

(The bill has been passed by the Assembly and state Senate and sent to the governor.)

Did Mike Gatto ever get ticketed for parking at a broken meter? Was that the spark to the legislative fuse? I hope that’s true too.

I’ve parked at a meter, put in my money, found it broken and dutifully called the city to report it. What did the dame at the other end of the phone say to my good-deed-doing? “Move your car to another meter.” No refund, no credit, no thanks.

Although the city says its new generation of card-or-coin meters have been virtually trouble-free, about one in 10 of the old-style coin meters were broken at any given time. Many were vandalized, although less picturesquely than in “Cool Hand Luke.” The city, like the Napoleonic Code, assumes that we are all vandals, jamming the meters to save ourselves six bits. Thus, we cannot benefit from our crime by parking free at a broken meter.

Why did it take an assemblyman to try to fix this? Why didn’t some City Council member introduce a piece of city legislation to do this?

[Updated, 3:40 p.m. July 8: Newly elected Councilman Mike Bonin, who leads the council's Transportation Committee, offered a motion July 2 to rescind the penalty for parking at an inoperable meter.]

Follow the money; follow the coins. I bet you a roll of quarters that the city does not use that $73 fine to fix the parking meters. I bet you that the city puts that $73 fine into the general fund and goes merrily along, congratulating itself on what a crafty little cash cow it’s milking. Broken meters may very well make more money than working ones; how’s that for a slick deal?

Of course people can cheat the parking rules -- does that give the city permission to out-cheat them? Enforce fair rules fairly and people won’t have grounds to complain when they get dinged for breaking them.

The new meters that accept coins or credit cards are crowding out the coin-only meters. There are nearly 40,000 of them, and fewer than a dozen are broken at any one time. If this is not a problem that will fix itself, then maybe Gatto’s bill will...

[For the Record, 3:40 p.m. July 8: The original version of this post stated that one in 10 parking meters in the city were broken. The latest report from the city's Department of Transportation states that only 6 of the 37,000 card-or-coin meters now in service have been found inoperable since Jan. 13, for a total of 12.5 hours of down time. That statistic covers only meters that wouldn't accept both coins and cards; no statistics were available yet for meters that would accept one but not the other.]

You can read more at http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/opinion-la/la-ol-broken-parking-meters-legislation-20130708,0,4222782.story

Mike Gatto is the Chairman of the Appropriations Committee in the California State Assembly.  He represents Burbank, Glendale, La Cañada Flintridge, La Crescenta, Montrose, and the Los Angeles neighborhoods of Atwater Village, East Hollywood, Franklin Hills, Hollywood Hills, Los Feliz, and Silver Lake.  www.asm.ca.gov/gatto 

L.A., You Might Soon Be Able To Park At Broken Meters Again

Photo by Hungry Dog Creative via the LAist Featured Photos pool on Flickr

From the LAist - July 3, 2013

Los Angelenos may soon never be ticketed again for parking at a broken meter, as the fate of California drivers lies in the hands of Governor Jerry Brown.

The bill, penned by Assemblyman Mike Gatto, D-Los Angeles, would prohibit California cities from ticketing motorists who park at broken meters. It would also allow motorists to park at a broken meter for the maximum time period allotted at a functioning meter.

Today, the state Senate approved the bill, which will soon find its way to Brown's desk.

Broken meters have been a large source of contention in Los Angeles. Last December L.A. City Council voted to uphold the two-year policy allowing ticketing at broken meters, much to Gatto's dismay.

Gatto has said in support of California residents, "Taxpayers already pay for street maintenance, meter installation and meter upkeep. Local governments should take responsibility and keep parking meters in good working order, not squeeze a double-penalty out of cash-strapped citizens." Damn straight, Gatto. Damn straight.

Newly appointed City Councilman Mike Bonin also has drivers' backs, having introduced a motion this week to rescind City Council's existing broken meter ticketing policy.

You can read this article and more at the LAist HERE

Mike Gatto is the Chairman of the Appropriations Committee in the California State Assembly.  He represents Burbank, Glendale, La Cañada Flintridge, La Crescenta, Montrose, and the Los Angeles neighborhoods of Atwater Village, East Hollywood, Franklin Hills, Hollywood Hills, Los Feliz, and Silver Lake.  www.asm.ca.gov/gatto 

WATCH IT HERE: ABC7 - Bill would Prohibit Tickets at Broken Parking Meters

Great piece from KGO-TV (ABC7) Los Angeles on AB 61, my bill prohibit local governments from ticketing vehicles parked at a broken or malfunctioning parking meter.  A special thank you to Nanette Miranda for finding such great examples of the everyday victims of malfunctioning meters.

Mike Gatto is the Chairman of the Appropriations Committee of the California State Assembly.  He represents the cities of Burbank, Glendale, La Cañada-Flintridge, the Los Angeles neighborhoods of Los Feliz, Silver Lake, Atwater Village, and portions of the Hollywood Hills and East Hollywood.  www.asm.ca.gov/gatto 

Op-Ed: A Fix-It Ticket for Broken Parking Meters

If a city failed to keep the meter in repair, a driver shouldn’t be ticketed. After all, we taxpayers pay for maintenance of the street, installation of the meters, and the salaries of those who monitor them and keep them in working order.  The absurdity of ticketing those who park at broken meters is the theme of my Op-Ed in this week's LA Downtown News.  I've shared that Op-Ed below and give thanks to Jon Regardie of the LA Downtown News for allowing me to share my thoughts on this important topic.

A Fix-It Ticket for Broken Parking Meters

photo by Gary Leonard / LA Downtown News

by Mike Gatto - Los Angeles Downtown News

DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES - From approximately 1935 until 2012, if a motorist in California came across a broken meter, that motorist could park for free. The logic was sound. If a city failed to keep the meter in repair, a driver shouldn’t be ticketed. After all, we taxpayers pay for maintenance of the street, installation of the meters, and the salaries of those who monitor them and keep them in working order.

In an all-too-familiar theme of governments inconveniencing the average citizen, some cities are chipping away at this tradition. Certain municipalities have enacted ordinances that ban parking at a space with a broken meter, leading to tickets for motorists. The Los Angeles City Council voted in December to institute just such a law.

This is a particular problem in high-traffic communities such as Downtown Los Angeles, where parking is at a premium. As Los Angeles Downtown News noted in a January editorial, this can require drivers to pass up a rare open space in search of another open one with a functioning meter.

I don’t think the crackdown is just. In January I introduced legislation, Assembly Bill (AB) 61, that forbids cities from ticketing citizens who park at broken or malfunctioning parking meters. Motorists would still have to obey all other posted parking rules, like street-cleaning restrictions, but they’d be allowed to park for the maximum time allowed by a functioning meter.

I believe this is the right course of action for a number of reasons. First, we all lead busy lives, and the time spent in traffic or running errands takes us away from our loved ones. Forcing a motorist to drive around when there are perfectly good spots available is not good for the driver or the environment.

Second, forcing that motorist to park in an expensive lot is also not acceptable. I’d rather encourage cities to keep their meters working and have the revenue go into city coffers as well. Third, merchants deserve better. Commerce flows when people can park conveniently and get to where they’re going.

Finally, I believe AB 61 will decrease careless citations. A recent investigation found that more than 17,000 parking tickets had been issued, in a single year, for meters that had been reported as malfunctioning to the city of Los Angeles, even while the old rules were in effect. This is unacceptable.

The primary argument against the bill, concern about increased vandalism, lacks merit. As noted above, almost all cities have allowed parking at broken meters since the dawn of the parking meter. Most continue to do so now. Few people, if any, have carried around a sledgehammer or glue to avoid paying a quarter (or much more). As we transition to large, strong, street-parking kiosks that resemble ATM machines and feature cameras, I believe vandalism will decrease anyway.

The bottom line is that it is the responsibility of local governments to maintain their meters or parking kiosks and keep them in good working order. The people should not have to drive around ceaselessly or pay for the government’s mistakes and inefficiencies, especially when we already paid to install and maintain the meters in the first place.

Mike Gatto is the Assemblyman for California’s 43rd District. He is also the Chairman of the Appropriations Committee of the California State Assembly.

You can read this Opinion Editorial and more at the LA Downtown News HERE

Lawmaker wants to stop tickets for drivers parking at broken meters | News - KCRA Home

"I think it’s very unfair to the members of the public to tell them that your tax dollars go to pay for this meter, but if the meter is broken and the city hasn’t fixed it, then we are going to give you ticket," said Assemblyman Mike Gatto, D-Burbank. 

Lawmaker wants to stop tickets for drivers parking at broken meters | News - KCRA Home

LISTEN IN: KPCC's Noel Conti Talks Broken Parking Meters with Assemblyman Mike Gatto

Below is my interview with Noel Conti on KPCC. Not sure I believe that there are only 5 broken meters (total) in the entire City of LA... But silly me for not trusting parking enforcement.

http://media.scpr.org/audio/upload/2013/02/13/or-conti-meters-021613.mp3

WATCH IT HERE: Assemblyman Gatto discusses Broken Parking Meters and AB 184 via a Google+ "Hangout"

Video of my "Google+ Hangout" interview with Fox40 News in Sacramento.  I discussed AB 184, my bill to prohibit local governments from issuing parking tickets to vehicles parked at broken parking meters.  The first 4 minutes are spent addressing technical difficulties, so you may wish to fast forward to 3:50.

Enjoy!

Not So Eager Meters

The Los Angeles Downtown News agrees "The next step in this battle is obvious: City officials should back off the stance that those who park at broken meters deserve tickets."  Highlights and a link to their entire article are below.

Photo by Gary Leonard

DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES - Parking is a long-enduring problem in Los Angeles, and the issue can be thornier in Downtown than in almost every other part of the city. That’s why the fight over whether drivers should be ticketed for stopping at a broken meter is a good thing. Yes, in this case the fight is a positive...

...The issue garnered notoriety in December, when the City Council voted 12-1 to make the no parking stricture a permanent policy...

...Then, this month, state Assemblyman Mike Gatto introduced a bill that would block the city’s move — in other words, his effort would counter a city law that responded to a loophole in a state law...

...The city’s logic goes like this: If you let people avoid fines at broken meters, then they’ll break meters to save money. That will mean lost parking fees for the city as well as having to pay for meter repair.
It’s a concern, but, really, is it enough of a concern to prompt this overreaction?...

© Los Angeles Downtown News 2012 - You can read this story and more at the Los Angeles Downtown News HERE

 Mike Gatto is the Chairman of the Appropriations Committee of the California State Assembly.  He represents the cities of Burbank, Glendale, La Canada-Flintridge, La Crescenta, Montrose, the Los Angeles neighborhoods of Los Feliz, Silver Lake, Atwater Village, and portions of the Hollywood Hills and East Hollywood.   www.asm.ca.gov/gatto  

Bill Could Block Cities From Citing Drivers Who Park at Broken Meters

LAist is reporting that Councilmembers Jan Perry and Dennis Zane have put forth a motion to prohibit the city of Los Angeles from ticketing automobiles that park at broken meters.  This is similar to my bill AB 61, which would apply throughout the state.  Highlights from their article below:

 Photo by Zach Behrens/LAist

Although the state of California says motorists who park at broken meters are not to be ticketed, this new law comes with a crucial exception: Cities can opt-out and enforce the no-parking rule and issue tickets anyhow. Los Angeles recently became one such city, with the Council voting 12-1 in favor of issuing tickets to drivers who leave their car at broken parking meters. 

Now, however, Assemblyman Mike Gatto's bill could put the brakes on L.A.'s plan.
The bill, AB 61, would prohibit local governments, such as cities and counties, from enacting an ordinance that bans parking in a space controlled by a broken meter or broken kiosk for on-street parking. 

“It’s just wrong for cities to ticket people who want to park at a meter that the city has failed to fix,” said Gatto in his statement on AB 61. “Or to force a motorist to drive around or park in a paid lot when a perfectly good spot on the street is available... "

"...It is the responsibility of local governments to maintain their meters and keep them in good working order,” said Gatto. “The people should not have to pay for the government’s mistakes or inefficiencies, especially when the people already paid to install and maintain the meters in the first place...”

...Gatto isn't fighting (by proxy) L.A. City Hall alone; in addition to Councilmember Jan Perry, who cast the sole dissenting vote regarding opting out of the state law, Councilmember Dennis Zine, who was absent for the vote, have joined forces to put forth a motion calling for a reversal of the city policy...

You can read this entire article and more at the LAist, by clicking HERE

 Mike Gatto is the Chairman of the Appropriations Committee of the California State Assembly.  He represents the cities of Burbank, Glendale, La Canada-Flintridge, La Crescenta, Montrose, the Los Angeles neighborhoods of Los Feliz, Silver Lake, Atwater Village, and portions of the Hollywood Hills and East Hollywood.   www.asm.ca.gov/gatto  

Broken meters may provide free parking

Highlights from Erin Donnelly's article in the UCLA Daily Bruin:

L.A. Assemblyman Mike Gatto introduced a bill last week that would allow L.A. drivers to park at broken parking meters for free, according to a statement from the assemblyman released last week ... 

...If passed, Gatto’s bill would require city or county governments to follow Brown’s policy on parking meters.  “It’s just wrong for cities to ticket people who want to park at a meter that the city has failed to fix,” Gatto said in the press release... 

...Westwood Village already has limited parking and the loss of any available spots because of broken meters could hamper businesses in the area, said Steve Sann, chair of the Westwood Community Council.  “Anything that makes it more difficult for people to find parking is bad for business,” Sann said.

You can read the entire article and more at the University of California Daily Bruin HERE


Mike Gatto is the Chairman of the Appropriations Committee of the California State Assembly.  He represents the cities of Burbank, Glendale, La Canada-Flintridge, La Crescenta, Montrose, the Los Angeles neighborhoods of Los Feliz, Silver Lake, Atwater Village, and portions of the Hollywood Hills and East Hollywood.   www.asm.ca.gov/gatto  

ABC7 - LA broken parking meter battle: Assemblyman seeks to block city from issuing citations

Highlights and Video from KABC's coverage of my bill to block local governments from issuing tickets to drivers who park at broken parking meters:

DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- A bill was introduced in Sacramento on Tuesday that seeks to block the city of Los Angeles from issuing tickets to drivers who park at broken meters. 

A new state law that took effect Jan. 1 allows drivers to park at broken meters, but it also allows cities to opt out. The Los Angeles City Council did just that last month by a vote of 12-1, which means motorists can still be fined if parked at a broken meter. 

Assembly Bill 61, introduced by Assemblyman Mike Gatto (D- Los Angeles), would block the city from enforcing the citations and allow drivers to park for the maximum time allowed. 

"The taxpayer pays to install the meter, the taxpayer pays to maintain the meter and it's just outrages to say the taxpayer can't park at a meter if the government hasn't fixed it," Gatto said... 

...Gatto also said cities are trying to get extra revenue through the citations. 

"They're trying to issue more fines and I just don't think that's right," Gatto said... "If the meter don't work, they should fix it. Everything is just to squeeze money out of people. That's just what it is. It's just money, money, money." 

City News Service contributed to this report.

(Copyright ©2013 KABC-TV/DT. All Rights Reserved.)

You can read this entire article and more at ABC News HERE

Mike Gatto is the Chairman of the Appropriations Committee of the California State Assembly. He represents the cities of Burbank, Glendale, La Canada-Flintridge, La Crescenta, Montrose, the Los Angeles neighborhoods of Los Feliz, Silver Lake, Atwater Village, and portions of the Hollywood Hills and East Hollywood. www.asm.ca.gov/gatto

LISTEN LIVE: Assemblyman Gatto Talks about tickets at broken parking meters on the Morning Show on KNX Radio

If you haven't heard yet, I've introduced legislation on Monday that would prevent authorities from issuing tickets to California drivers who park at a broken or malfunctioning meter.  I'll be discussing the bill, AB 61, tomorrow morning on the KNX Morning show.  You can tune in live at 7:40AM to KNX radio by following one of the links below:

http://tunein.com/radio/KNX-1070-NEWSRADIO-s34407/

http://betaplayer.radio.com/player/knx-1070-newsradio

Gatto introduces bill to prevent cities from ticketing drivers who park at broken meters

Highlights from Daniel Siegal's article in the Glendale News-Press:

Assemblyman Mike Gatto (D-Silver Lake) introduced legislation on Monday that would prevent authorities from issuing tickets to California drivers who park at a broken or malfunctioning meter. 

“It’s just wrong for cities to ticket people who want to park at a meter that the city has failed to fix, or to force a motorist to drive around or park in a paid lot when a perfectly good spot on the street is available,” Gatto said in a statement... “It is the responsibility of local governments to maintain their meters and keep them in good working order,” Gatto said in his statement.  “The people should not have to pay for the government’s mistakes or inefficiencies, especially when the people already paid to install and maintain the meters in the first place."

-- Daniel Siegal, Times Community News

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You can read this entire article and more at the Glendale News Press by clicking HERE

Mike Gatto is the Chairman of the Appropriations Committee of the California State Assembly.  He represents the cities of Burbank, Glendale, La Canada-Flintridge, La Crescenta, Montrose, the Los Angeles neighborhoods of Los Feliz, Silver Lake, Atwater Village, and portions of the Hollywood Hills and East Hollywood.   www.asm.ca.gov/gatto