Free parking in L.A.

[uclabruins]

I wish the website would be updated so we know.

[madler]

After a fair bit of searching on odd and barely functional databases of Los Angeles government information, I found this (on a site that is now no longer accessible a few days later):

Wed Dec 12, 2007

Council File Number 04-1362

ITEM NO. (16) - 04-1362 Transportation Committee Report relative to amending Sections 88.00, 88.07, 88.13, 88.57 and 88.63 of the Los Angeles Municipal Code to provide for free parking of certain alternative fuel vehicles

This item was approved, but I can't find what the amendments were. I found the municipal code online, but it was only current as of November 2007. As for what was in the municipal code as of then, it makes no mention at all of either hybrid vehicles or clean air vehicle decals.

If someone would like to contact the city to get file 04-1362, there's probably a lot of good stuff in there. It has entries going back to 2005, and should have everything about what Los Angeles has done about parking for hybrid and clean air vehicles over time.

[Kablooie]

After further consideration and having provided an opportunity for public comment, the Committee
moved to recommend requesting the City Attorney to prepare an Ordinance to amend the LAMC
to provide for free parking of alternative fuel vehicles that are included in the Clean Air Vehicle
Decal Program until as late as January 1,2011. Additionally, the Committee moved to recommend
approval of the recommendations as contained in the October 3, 2007 DOT report and detailed
above in Recommendation Nos. 2-4. This matter is now being forwarded to the Council for its
consideration.

Respectfully submitted,
TRANSPORTATION COMMITTEE
O- ~
ADOPTED
MOTION ADOPTED TO APPROVE COMMITTEE REPORT RECOMMENDATION5
DEe 1 2 2007
---

Full document at:
http://clkrep.lacity.org/councilfile...A_12-12-07.pdf

[madler]

Great find Kablooie!

Interestingly, the report implies that the original program of free parking for the named hybrids has been in effect the whole time, in addition to the later inclusion of vehicles with clean air decals. I had thought that they removed the named hybrid vehicles, and that you had to have clean air decals to get the free parking.

In any case, the new direction gives a 30 day time limit for the named hybrid vehicles without clean air decals. 30 days that is, after the updated ordinance becomes effective. I don't know how to find out when that is.

I'm not even sure that there will be an ordinance to amend the municipal code. The municipal code I found, which claimed to be up to date as of Nov 2007, didn't reflect the earlier direction of June 21, 2006 to amend section 88. Does this mean that the free parking was in force, even though the municipal code was never updated? I suppose enforcement always has the option to not give a ticket, or even to later rescind a ticket for any reason, so perhaps the free parking was implemented through policy instead of code.

So might they do the same thing again and not update the code?

I find this Los Angeles government stuff confusing.

[HighBreed]

I'll try to make a phone call to DOT tomorrow. Their traffic officers should know.

[dukduk]

cbs2.com - Hybrid Vehicles Losing Some Of Their Privileges