Paid parking could return to downtown Paso Robles. Here’s how

Visitors in downtown Paso Robles may soon need to pay for parking again.

On Tuesday, the Paso Robles City Council voted 3-2 to accept the first reading of an ordinance reinstating the paid parking program, with council members Chris Bausch and Fred Strong dissenting.

The council paused the program during its last meeting on Feb. 6 after receiving a cease-and-desist letter accusing the city of violating state law — prompting the city attorney to review the program.

The council will officially vote on whether or not to re-establish paid parking at its next meeting on March 5.

If the council passes the ordinance, drivers would have to pay for parking from 10th Street to 14th Street, from Spring Street to Pine Street, and on the 900 block of 12th and 13th streets, city attorney Elizabeth Hull said.

At public comment, community members asked the council to end the paid parking program altogether.

Carla Cary, the co-owner of Spare Time Books on 12th Street, asked the City Council to be more lenient with paid parking. She said her bookstore saw an increase in customers when the city temporarily allowed free parking.

“We saw our record high days in the last couple of weeks,” Cary said. “The tourists are always going to come in and out, but I think in order to have a thriving and long-lasting city, I do think that a workaround in parking would be very beneficial.”

Randall Jordan, the chairman of the SLO County Republican Party, went further, comparing parking enforcement officers to the Gestapo while urging the council to eliminate paid parking.

“We see the young man and I know he’s trying to do a good job, but he’s actually standing there hoping that he’s going to be able to write to a ticket, and that is not what our city is about,” Jordan said.

Paso Robles plans to reinstate paid parking, issue some refunds

In 2018, the City Council passed an ordinance to create the paid parking program, according to Hull.

That ordinance required the council to pass another ordinance or resolution to make changes to the cost or location for paid parking, Hull said.

In May 2019, however, the City Council established the paid parking zone by a motion instead of through an ordinance or resolution.

As a result, all future actions taken by the council related to parking “were not based upon a solid foundation,” Hull said.

To fix the problem, Hull recommended that the council pass an ordinance codifying the paid parking zone.

On Tuesday, the council voted to accept the first reading of an ordinance that would do just that. The council members will vote on whether or not to pass the ordinance next week.

The ordinance would establish which streets require paid parking, set allowed parking times between 15 minutes and 10 hours, authorize 30-minute free parking spots, and set the parking fee range between $1 and $5 — while granting the city manager the authority to pick the rates, Hull said.

The new ordinance also would require the council to set parking rates by ordinance rather than by resolution, Hull said.

“I think when we do things by resolution, it’s a little bit harder for the public to find, whereas if its by ordinance, it’s in your municipal code. So its a little bit more transparent,” she said.

Meanwhile, the city will issue refunds to people who paid for parking during the past year, Hull said.

State law only allows the city to issue refunds to customers within 12 months of the payment, according to Hull.

As a result, drivers who paid for parking between Feb. 6, 2023, and Feb. 6, 2024, can apply to the city for a refund through an online form at bit.ly/3uJLjJX.

Customers must provide proof of payment and submit the form within 120 days, Hull said.

You can park for free in downtown Paso Robles — for now. Here’s why

City Council did not violate the Brown Act

SLO County resident Gary Lehrer sent a cease-and-desist letter to the city earlier this month, accusing the council of violating the Brown Act by improperly noticing a November 2023 meeting when it voted to increase the parking rates.

Last year, people could park downtown for free for two hours before being charged $2 per hour.

In November, however, the City Council voted 3-2 to do away with free parking starting in January, opting to charge people $1 per hour from the moment they arrive.

In the cease-and-desist letter, Lehrer said the city did not indicate on the agenda of its Nov. 21 meeting that the council would vote to change parking rates.

Lehrer alleged that this violated the Brown Act, California’s open meetings law.

On Feb. 6, the council voted to pause the paid parking program while investigating Lehrer’s claims.

According to Hull, the city did not violate the Brown Act in November and all of the allegations in the letter were false.

But the letter did prompt Hull to review the program and discover the council’s 2019 mistake, she said.