HERMOSA BEACH, Calif. — Hermosa Beach is expected to decide whether to start parking meters two hours earlier. If passed, the city’s 1,566 parking meters would kick in beginning at 8 a.m. instead of 10 a.m.
The city said it will take up the issue on May 9. The first vote was 3-to-2 in favor of the change.
Surfer Brian Toal surfs many mornings in Hermosa Beach. He said it’s a convenient location because it’s between his home and work. He also said that since parking is free until 10 a.m. he doesn’t have to worry about getting out of the water to feed the meter mid-session. Toal said if the meters start two hours earlier, surfers and other early morning beachgoers will likely park in the neighborhoods or find another spot to go to all together. He also said if meters kick in at 8 a.m. he’ll likely skip his post-surf coffee or meal from local shops.
“Yeah, I absolutely think it’s going to affect the businesses,” Toal said.
Hermosa Beach Councilman Dean Francois said local business is one of the reasons he is against changing the hours.
“They should be able to thrive and do well without having their customers have to pay for the meters,” Francois said.
He also said the change doesn’t make sense financially.
“The amount of revenue we would receive early in the morning just would not make any difference as far as what we spend on enforcement,” he said.
During the March 28, 2023, city council meeting, Hermosa Beach Finance Director Viki Copeland broke down the city’s parked related revenue versus costs. Copeland said, “3.9 (million) basically revenue. And just a little over $4 million in expenses.”
Following the March 28 meeting, the City of Hermosa Beach sent over an estimate of parking revenue vs. costs for the current fiscal year. (The numbers are based on projections from last fiscal year’s parking numbers, since the fiscal year does not end until the end of June.) The City says it expects to collect $5,557,797, in parking revenues this year under the current parking policies, and the city’s projected 2022-2023 parking expenditure budget is $4,045,295.
Hermosa Beach Mayor Raymond Jackson supports changing the hours.
“I’m the first guy to say I hate to pay for parking,” Jackson said. “But I also understand that nothing is free. And with free parking comes other issues associated with it in terms of keeping the city clean and safe.”
The city also expects to get about $1.8 million from a parking rate increase approved earlier this year. He also said changing the hours would help open up parking spaces.
“Parking is always a challenge, particularly in a city the size of Hermosa Beach, 1.4 square miles,” Jackson said.
The city said that based on a 36% to 53% early morning occupancy of meters, the two-hour change would bring in about $815,000 in revenue. Earlier this year, the city council voted to increase parking meter rates. These increases changed parking meter rates to $2 per hour from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. and $2.50 per hour from 8 p.m. to 2 a.m. Those rates were last changed in 2016. The city expects to earn $1.8 million in revenue from the rate increases.
If the hours change, the city said it plans to establish a new program allowing “early birds,” who frequently park at the meters in the early morning hours, to purchase a $180 annual sticker instead of paying for metered parking before 10 a.m. The $180 cost of the annual sticker will be a discount of more than 85% of the daily meter rate.
If the city council votes to change the course, City Manager Suga Lowenthal said that based on vendor estimates, the cost to change signage and required hardware reflecting new hours of reinforcement for the meters will cost about $31,516.00.