TO:

Honorable Mayor and Members of the City Council

THROUGH:
Mark Danaj, City Manager
FROM:
Nadine Nader, Assistant City Manager
Kendra Davis, Management Fellow
SUBJECT:..Title
Letter of Opposition to Assembly Bill (AB2586 Gatto) Regarding Limitations on Local
Government Authority to Regulate Parking
AUTHORIZE LETTER OF OPPOSITION
..Line
_________________________________________________________
..Recommended Action
RECOMMENDATION:
Staff recommends that the City Council authorize the Mayor to sign and distribute a
letter of opposition to AB 2586 (Gatto), which seeks to amend the California Vehicle
Code (CVC) and restrict the ability of cities to establish and regulate local parking rules.
..Bod
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:
There are no fiscal implications for this action.
BACKGROUND:
The City of Manhattan Beach is a coastal community with a beautiful public beach and
limited land use capabilities, especially in the Downtown and beachfront areas. It is a
year-round destination for beach-goers. The City itself has about 34,000 residents, who
also enjoy the beach and the Downtown. In the Citys Downtown, parking is extremely
limited and utilized by residents, beach-goers, shoppers, diners and employees. The
City is continually trying to balance methods of reducing congestion along the streets in
this district, while also leveraging the limited parking that exists to support the high
demand. Through these efforts, the City has established valet parking as one of the
potential ways to effectively mediate this need.
One of the provisions of AB 2586 eliminates the ability of local governments to create
exclusive valet parking zones along metered spaces during certain periods of time. AB
2586 proposes adding Section 22508.6 to the CVC that reads: A person providing valet
parking services in a business district is prohibited from doing either of the following:
a Prohibiting a vehicle from parking in an otherwise available parking space
regulated by a parking meter.
b Prohibiting a vehicle from stopping or standing from the purpose of loading or
unloading passengers in any space or area that has been designated for that
purpose.

The City currently reserves ten metered spaces in the Downtown area for public valet
parking use in order to offer those seeking to enjoy the Downtown or the beach an
opportunity to find quick, reasonably priced parking. This amendment to the CVC will
effectively eliminate that reliability and prohibit the City from using this method in the
future. In the attached proposal to the Coastal Commission (see attached), staff
provides a number of supporting statements for the use of valet parking in this district,
such as:
Every valeted car opens up an additional public parking space, effectively adding
120 more low-cost parking spaces for public access.
Dedicated valet spaces represent 4% of all on-street spaces and only 1% of all
public spaces in Downtown.
Valet service reduces congestion by reducing the need to search for open
parking spaces.
Even more important than the actual influence of valet parking on congestion and
access is the ability of this City to utilize it as a tool. If AB 2586 is passed, the City will
no longer have the discretion to utilize valet parking as a method of managing parking in
a balanced way.
AB 2586 also seeks to extend the limitations introduced by AB 61 (Gatto, Chapter 71,
Statutes of 2013) in 2013 that addressed broken parking meters. In Manhattan Beach,
the City has a longstanding policy of not ticketing vehicles parked at broken parking
meters, as long as posted time regulations are still upheld. However, this bill removes
the discretion of the City to respond to unique cases and set policies that address the
reality of parking enforcement in Manhattan Beach and instead imposes a generic
solution for all California communities.
It will also impose additional limitations on local authorities in how they are able to
regulate other parking needs, such as street sweeping, arrangements with business
districts and the type of parking technology that can be used.
The League of California Cities has come out in firm opposition to AB 2586 because
they believe it limits the authority of cities to establish their own parking regulations, an
authority that has existed at that level since 1959.
AB 2586 was introduced by Assemblymember Gatto and read in February 2016. It was
referred to the Committees on Transportation and Local Government. The Committee
on Transportation amended and passed the bill 16-0 on April 5, 2016 and re-referred it
to the Committee on Local Government. There, it was passed 6-3 on April 20, 2016 and
re-referred to the Committee on Appropriations.
Due to the implications listed above and the relatively quick progression of the bill
through committee, staff recommends the City Council authorize a letter of opposition
be sent.
DISCUSSION:

While some of the provisions of AB 2586 already align with current Manhattan Beach
policy (not ticketing vehicles parked at broken meters or after street sweeping has
already occurred), this bill will remove the ability of local authorities to be responsive to
changes or challenges that arise within individual communities as they pertain to
parking regulations.
The City is currently discussing a Downtown Specific Plan that seeks to protect the
future of the Downtown and preserve its unique character. The provisions listed in this
bill limit the Citys access to certain tools that could assist with addressing traffic
congestion or parking availability in the future, both within the context of the Specific
Plan and beyond.
The City Council could choose not to take a stance on this bill at this time and wait for it
to progress further through the committees. However, it has moved quickly through two
committees since its introduction and may continue to move at the same pace. If the
City Council chooses to postpone taking a position, the opportunity to provide influential
feedback may not be available.
POLICY ALTERNATIVES:
ALTERNATIVE #:
The City Council chooses not to take a position on AB 2586 (Gatto) at this time.
PROS:
The City has an opportunity to reach out to more neighboring cities and discuss the
potential implications of this bill, as well as more fully research the impact on Manhattan
Beach.
CONS:
The City may lose its opportunity to provide feedback on this bill and its potential
impact on the community if the bill progresses quickly through the next phase.
PUBLIC OUTREACH/INTEREST:
City Staff will reach out to community stakeholders, such as the Downtown Business
Association, the Manhattan Beach Chamber of Commerce and others, to raise
awareness of the potential impacts of this bill on the local community and seek
feedback on the affect it may have on Manhattan Beach.
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW
There is no environmental review required for this action.
LEGAL REVIEW
The City Attorney has reviewed AB 2586 and will work with City staff to evaluate the
impact of this bill on the regulatory authority of the City and, if City Council chooses,
assist staff in creating a letter in opposition.