Santa Monica Canyon Civic Association

Parking, or Lack Thereof, Part of Our Canyon’s Charm

Mar 22, 2004

In my family we had a saying when someone had a habit that annoyed us. We?’d say, ?“its part of his charm?” and shrug it off.
Here in the Canyon we find ourselves using that saying quite often as we jockey for parking spots close to our home. Parking, or lack there of ?– it?’s just part of the Canyon?’s charm.
Sometimes we struggle with balancing the incredibly positive side of living in the Canyon: the rustic feel, the views, the convenience, the sense of community, with the negative: speeding traffic, construction and limited parking. Here are a few suggestions to try and alleviate some of the parking angst.
1) Obey all posted parking signs and red curbs.
They are there for the safety of everyone. Don?’t park in the red zone, even if it?’s right in front of your house. You are blocking visibility and creating a hazard. Don?’t park in front of a mailbox, for mail delivery might be withheld. Or within 15 feet of a fire hydrant; you risk a large fine and possible damage to your vehicle if the Fire Department needs to access the hydrant.
2) Insist construction or other workers at your home park legally. Have a frank discussion with employees to be sure they understand where they can legally park. Everyone certainly understands that there are times when materials need to be loaded and unloaded and double parking for that brief time may be necessary. But please have workers move trucks to legal locations immediately following. If your workers don?’t need to access their vehicles during the workday, suggest they carpool or park in a way that minimizes impact on neighbors. Remind yourself and your own guests of this thoughtfulness.
3) Try a nicely worded note of warning on the windshield when you notice a habitual offender. A neighborly note to encourage the owner to move their car to a legal location prior to calling parking enforcement couldn?’t hurt. Especially if it turns out the car you are having towed is your neighbor?’s. Where an unfamiliar car appears to have been abandoned, ask several neighbors about it before reporting it. One of them may be keeping an eye on it for an out-of-town friend. Maybe they could watch it in front of their own house.
4) Call Parking Enforcement as a last resort. The number to call to dispatch an enforcement officer is 213.485.4184. They will ask for the following info: What parking restrictions exist, street address/cross street, and description of the vehicle. They will run a check on the vehicle, tow it if it is parked illegally, or post a warning on an apparently abandoned vehicle several days before towing.