Item 348/2024
Final
City of Garden Grove
INTER-DEPARTMENT MEMORANDUM
To:
Lisa L. Kim From: Samuel Kim
Chief Amir El-Farra
Dept:
City Manager Dept: Public Works
Police Department
Date: 8/27/2024
Subject: Adoption of a Resolution to update the schedule of penalties for parking violations, and the Introduction and First Reading of an Oversized Vehicle Ordinance entitled:
AN ORDINANCE OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF GARDEN GROVE AMENDING SECTION 10.56.110 AND REPEALING SECTION 10.56.115 OF CHAPTER 10.56 OF TITLE 10 OF THE GARDEN GROVE MUNICIPAL CODE
PERTAINING TO OVERSIZED VEHICLE PARKING AND RECREATIONAL VEHICLE PARKING. (Action Item)
OBJECTIVE
To secure City Council’s approval of the Oversized Vehicle Ordinance and accompanying resolution to update the schedule of penalties for parking violations.
BACKGROUND
Illegally-parked oversized vehicles pose a traffic hazard for pedestrian and vehicular safety, diminish the aesthetics of the community, and decrease property values. The Garden Grove Police Department has a dedicated Commercial Enforcement Officer that conducts oversized vehicle enforcement. Additional Police Department and Public Works st aff provide enforcement of parking regulations for these vehicles by issuing parking citations.
Enforcement challenges exist between the existing commercial and recreational vehicle regulations. The current commercial trailer regulations in Section 10.56 .110 and RV trailer regulations in Section 10.56.115 create apparent inconsistencies between the regulation of trailers. One section allows a trailer to be parked on the street for a 24-hour period, the other restricts them at all times. Additionally, t he existing commercial regulation requires enforcement personnel to measure each street prior to issuing a citation and does not extend restrictions to a ll City streets equitably. This, combined with a two -pronged enforcement requirement to mark a trailer for 24 hours before enforcement can occur, limits enforcement capabilities.
Item 348/2024
Further, the two current sections contain separate bail/penalty amounts. One section is preferred to equitably deter all oversized vehicle parking – no penalties are being increased with this update.
DISCUSSION
The Public Works Department and Police Department have worked with the City Attorney’s office to address the aforementioned legal and enforcement challenges that the teams are currently facing. A revised Oversized Vehicle section 10.15.110 is proposed to address all of these concerns, provide clarity for our residents, and include definitions of modified trailers and vehicles not considered in the existing regulations. The revised section 10.15.110 will address the previous two municipal code sections, and section 10.15.115 will be repealed.
At the June 20, 2024 meeting, the Public Works and Police Departments presented the revised oversized vehicle ordinance to the Traffic Commission during a study session. Subsequently at their July 2, 2024 meeting , the Garden Grove Traffic Commission approved the recommendation to advance the Oversized Vehicle Ordinance for City Council consideration.
The proposed ordinance addresses enforcement challenges, clarif ies the definition of an oversized vehicle, provide a singular penalty system for equitable deterrence, and address new modification of vehicle types that were not included in the original regulations. As defined in the proposed ordinance, an oversized vehicle will include ANY of the following:
Any vehicle over 22 feet in length
Any vehicle over 80 inches wide
Trailers of any size
RVs of any size
The current RV Permit Program established in 2017 remains unchanged. The revised regulations will continue to allow Garden Grove residents to obtain permits to load and unload trailers and RVs at no cost. The revised regulations will not impact the existing requirements for storage of recreational vehicles on private property.
FINANCIAL IMPACT
The approval of the Oversized Vehicle Ordinance and accompanying resolution does not have a financial impact. Existing law requires the installation of oversized vehicle traffic signs at City boundaries, which will be covered by the Public Works operational budget.
RECOMMENDATION
It is recommended that City Council:
Conduct the first reading and introduce the attached Oversized Vehicle Ordinance; and Adopt a resolution establishing an updated Schedule of Penalties for Parking Violations.
Item 348/2024
By: Karissa N. Yniguez, Senior Program Specialist
ATTACHMENTS
1. Oversized Vehicle Ordinance
2. Updated Penalty Schedule for Parking Violations Resolution
3. Existing Wide Vehicle/RV Parking Regulations