Administrative
Report
N.2., File # 25-1242 Meeting Date: 9/16/2025
To: MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL
From: ANDREW WINJE, PUBLIC WORKS DIRECTOR
TITLE
DISCUSSION AND POSSIBLE ACTION ON THE CITY’S PREFERENTIAL PARKING PERMIT
ORDINANCE
REVIEW AND PROVIDE DIRECTION ON POSSIBLE CHANGES TO THE ORDINANCE TO 1) ALLOW SEASONAL AND EVENT BASED PARKING PERMITS, 2) ADDRESS OUTDATED LANGUAGE IN THE ORDINANCE, AND 3) IMPROVE THE USEFULNESS AND ENFORCEABILITY OF THE CITY’S PREFERENTIAL PARKING PERMIT PROGRAM
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Following a recommendation by the Public Works & Sustainability Commission (PWSC), staff is presenting an item to allow the City Council to consider reforming the City’s Preferential Parking Permit Program (Program). The recommendations are aimed at improving the program by adding short-term and seasonal permit options to increase the flexibility of the City’s Preferential Parking Zones (PPZ) based on enforcement needs and resident feedback, and to streamline administration of the program by implementing advanced program management tools.
To accomplish this, staff recommends adding language to the Program to allow temporary, and event -based, permits to allow short-term parking within the PPZs, where appropriate. Staff also recommends removing prescriptive analytical methodology from the Redondo Beach Municipal Code (RBMC), which limits how PPZs can be deployed. If Council elects to administer the program through internal policies, instead of prescribed RBMC procedures, requests for PPZs could be considered in a more nuanced fashion, similar to the evaluation process used to process requests for new stop signs or speed cushions.
Staff also recommends redefining how the PPZ’s are geographically defined, how particular blocks are added to the program, and how permits are distributed to improve program effectiveness, enforcement efficiency, and fraud prevention.
Staff’s recommendations for improvements are based on a comparative analysis of the City’s exiting Program with similar programs in regional peer cities. The recommended changes would create a more dynamic and effective Program that balances parking demand conflicts with the needs of residents by allowing the City Council to more easily authorize, establish, and modify PPZs in the City.
BACKGROUND
Section 3-7.17 of the RBMC governs the City’s Parking Permit Program, which was authorized with
N.2., File # 25-1242 Meeting Date: 9/16/2025
Section 3-7.17 of the RBMC governs the City’s Parking Permit Program, which was authorized with the adoption of Ordinance 2696 in 1993. Portions of the Program were amended in 2014 (exempting car share vehicles from permit requirements) and again in 2020 (temporarily waiving permit fees to residences in some cases). The PWSC examined the authorizing code language as part of their June 2025 meeting.
The Administrative Report from the PWSC meeting includes a summary of issues and staff recommendations for the Program as listed below:
# Issue Effect
1. RBMC 3-7.17 does not allow for the
creation of temporary PPZs in
response to large scale public and /
or temporary events due to current
requirement that parking conflicts
occur on “regular and significant
daily or weekly intervals.”
Seasonal gatherings such as the Seaside
Holiday Lights in Torrance cause undue traffic
and parking impacts in Redondo
neighborhoods. The ability to implement a
temporary PPZ could help alleviate this
concern.
2. RBMC requires lengthy license
plate analysis, recognizes only the
commercial impacts to residential
parking and requires a 2/3 majority
of residents to advance
consideration to add, modify, or
remove PPZs. All PPZ changes
must go through the same petition
process on the subject block.
These measures are not always appropriate
for all considered PPZ’s (e.g. event-based
permits). Consideration to create new or to
modify existing PPZs in consideration of other
needs is impeded due to reliance on local
resident support likely unaware of other needs
in the area. Residents on adjacent blocks
outside PPZs have expressed frustration due
to unfairness. Neighborhoods with varying
residential densities may experience
neighbors in conflict with each other since
some residents may find it easier to petition
and propose PPZs that exclude other housing
types.
3. Current PPZs are added and
named block by block, with some
streets in a single neighborhood
containing two distinct zones.
The current PPZs are difficult to administer.
The zone names and boundaries are
confusing.
4. RBPD does not yet have the
capabilities to broadly enforce
PPZs using automated license
plate readers (ALPR).
PPZs require physical permits that can be
easy to forge and hard to transfer between
vehicles under the same ownership. City is
not unable to introduce more dynamic parking
regulations in PPZs.
5. All PPZs are binary. Parking is
either allowed or disallowed during
posted times.
City is unable to allow short duration parking
(e.g. one hour), which would accommodate
visitor and vendor parking and simplify the
resident / overnight parking program.
6. RBMC 3-7.1704 does not impose a
limit on the number of permits
allowed per dwelling unit. RBMC
also allows for various exemptions
and different permit types.
RBPD has experienced Program abuse where
permits are resold to members of the general
public regularly going to non-residential land
uses such as schools. Allowing for unlimited
permits may create situations where valid
N.2., File # 25-1242 Meeting Date: 9/16/2025
regulations in PPZs.
5. All PPZs are binary. Parking is
either allowed or disallowed during
posted times.
City is unable to allow short duration parking
(e.g. one hour), which would accommodate
visitor and vendor parking and simplify the
resident / overnight parking program.
6. RBMC 3-7.1704 does not impose a
limit on the number of permits
allowed per dwelling unit. RBMC
also allows for various exemptions
and different permit types.
RBPD has experienced Program abuse where
permits are resold to members of the general
public regularly going to non-residential land
uses such as schools. Allowing for unlimited
permits may create situations where valid
permits exceed actual on-street parking
supply, or where a few residents park a
disproportionate number of vehicles on the
street.
Some of these issues are due to restrictive language in the RBMC, while other issues are a byproduct of outdated administrative systems.
The flexibility and simplicity of the Program is limited by highly prescriptive language in the RBMC.
The existing language does not allow for consideration of time-limited or event-based permitting. The PWSC concurred with staff that additional flexibility in the underlying language would be more beneficial when considering the various settings, land uses, and resident needs that could be served by the Program. As such, a more pliable policy document could offer a more dynamic application of the Program than is currently achievable under the provisions in the RBMC.
Portions of the current language have become outdated and does not allow space for the improvements in technology and enforcement strategies that could improve the utility and enforceability of the Program. To address these deficiencies, staff recommends the City Council consider the following changes to the Program:
· General language cleanup to modernize RBMC 3-7.17.
· Revise RBMC 3-7.1702 “Determination of Findings” for establishing a PPZ to consider special events, seasonal gatherings, and other conflicts of use beyond commercial/residential issues. · In 3-7.1702, expand the definition of a “resident vehicle” to those who are registered within 500 feet of the proposed PPZ for the purposes of determining if an area is impacted by “visitor or commuter” vehicles. This promotes the principle that residents of any housing type, living within or adjacent to a proposed PPZ, should be allowed to use public streets for acts of parking to the same level of their neighbors so that residents do not own the curb space in front of their home.
· Remove language regarding the resident petition and parking study thresholds from RBMC 3-
7.1703 and reestablish them by resolution or City Council-approved policy, similar to the City’s Speed Cushion and All-Way Stop Policies. Existing RBMC codifies a two-thirds resident petition requirement for proposed PPZs. It also codifies 75% overall parking occupancy and 25% non-resident parking occupancy thresholds to determine eligibility for a PPZ. These, and other thresholds in 3-7.1703 such as a required PWSC public hearing, are limited in usefulness and may not be responsive to each neighborhood’s parking and land use characteristics, nor the various reasons for conflicting demands for parking space. A proposed PPZ Policy is attached for Council consideration as part of this discussion.
N.2., File # 25-1242 Meeting Date: 9/16/2025
· Revising 3-7.1704 to cap the number of parking permits would allow for better management of on-street parking supply and discourage fraud and abuse. For instance, consider:
a. Four Annual Resident Permits per dwelling unit tied to vehicles registered to the dwelling unit;
b. One Transferable Guest Permit per dwelling unit, not required to be registered to the dwelling unit. Transferable Guest Permits are only for use by residents or guests of residents in the act of bona fide visits to the registered dwelling unit; c. A limited number of Single Day-Use Permits per dwelling unit per year. Additional Single Day-Use Permits, or those exceeding one day in duration, may be issued on a case-by-case basis by the Police Department.
· Continuing to allow real estate professionals and property managers to purchase Single DayUse Permits. · Continuing to allow off-site property owners to purchase a single Annual Property Owner’s Permit.
· Adding a provision to 3-7.1705 to allow for short-term public parking within a PPZ on a caseby-case basis. This allows the City to establish PPZs with more flexible restrictions, such as allowing short-term public parking (e.g., 1hr…2hr) during daytime hours, for instance, while allowing permit holders to exceed stated time limits.
· Adding a five-minute parking regulation exemption in 3-7.1705 for hired vehicles like Uber, Lyft, Waymo, etc.
· Removing 3-7.1706. Staff proposes moving termination of PPZs to the proposed PPP Policy and 3-7.1701.
· Proposing graduated fees for the third and fourth Annual Resident Permits tied to a single dwelling unit to better manage on-street parking supply. This may disincentivize residents from parking all their vehicles on the street and overburdening available supply. · Modify language to accommodate ongoing transition to an online-centric, license plate-based parking permit systems. Additional funding may be required to implement additional automated license plate readers more widely across the Parking Enforcement Unit. This would also make creating “short-term time limit parking with permit exemption” zones more feasible.
· Organize the City into administrative geographic parking permit districts to simplify the number of PPZs. Streets that are approved for preferential parking restrictions would join the defined geographic residential permit district. Each permit district would correspond to durable permit types. Other seasonal special permit types can overlay and coexist with the geographic residential permit districts. Culver City, Inglewood, Santa Monica, and West Hollywood are among the various cities in the region that utilize this method.
A significant driver for the recommended changes is to address parking issues related to seasonal events. For example, the Holiday Lights attraction in Torrance’s Seaside Ranchos neighborhood
N.2., File # 25-1242 Meeting Date: 9/16/2025
events. For example, the Holiday Lights attraction in Torrance’s Seaside Ranchos neighborhood greatly impacts southerly portions of District 1. If Council would like to have new regulations in place prior to that event, staff would need to advance the RBMC text amendments and proposed Parking Program changes promptly.
This item is intended to solicit direction from City Council and input from the public regarding the Program. Staff would work to return with draft code amendments at the next feasible opportunity should any changes to the RBMC be desired. Implementation of changes to the Program would require additional time and coordination between multiple City Departments.
COORDINATION
Coordination of this report took place within the Public Works and Police Departments.
FISCAL IMPACT
There is no projected fiscal impact associated with these changes at this time and there is no certain way to predict future impacts to programmatic revenue. The proposed RBMC changes could result in minor decreases in parking permit revenue if certain zones are eliminated, but this could be offset by a more effective and widely used program with graduated permit pricing.
APPROVED BY:
Mike Witzansky, City Manager
ATTACHMENTS
· Administrative Report - Public Works and Sustainability Commission with Associated Attachments, June 23, 2025
· Proposed Preferential Permit Parking Request Policy
1 Date: June 23, 2025
To: Public Works and Sustainability Commission
From: Public Works Department
Subject: DISCUSSION OF POTENTIAL REFORMS TO THE CITY’S
PREFERENTIAL PARKING PERMIT PROGRAM
SUMMARY:
City staff received a referral from the Public Works & Sustainability Commission (PWSC) to discuss potential changes to the City’s Preferential Parking Permit (PPP) Program. The request stems from a desire to create more flexibility to add and/or remove zones to meet needs of the residents. The current Redondo Beach Municipal Code (RBMC) is highly restrictive and prescriptive as it relates to the PPP Program. Staff reviewed the PPP Program against similar programs in other cities such as Santa Monica, Culver City, and West Hollywood. These cities offer robust permit programs using best practices that reflect various street parking complexities.
BACKGROUND:
The City offers a number of parking permit programs for different needs. They include:
Annual Parking Meter Permits (available to all; bypasses per use payment up to the stated time limit)
Riviera Village Employee Parking Meter Permits (Riviera Village businesses only, specific meters only; bypasses per use payment and short-term time limits) Waterfront area employee permits
Preferential Parking Permits (discussed in detail below; bypasses stated restriction) Oversized Vehicle Permits (required when vehicle exceeds a certain size / dimension)
Senior Parking Meter Permit (age 62+ only; bypasses payment at 309 Esplanade and Lot 4 that serve a senior center)
This discussion focuses on the Preferential Parking Permits (PPP) Program. RBMC 3-7.17 governs the establishment, revisions, determination criteria, permit issuance, termination, and prohibitions related to preferential parking zones. RBMC 3-7.17 can be found here:
https://ecode360.com/42644496#42644496
PPPs are only available with proof of residency on that particular block or group of blocks.
At this time, the City contains 10 PPP zones, shown in Attachment 1. Each zone has a unique parking restriction and may encompass more than one block of a street.
Administrative Report
2 Administration of the PPP Program is currently handled by the Police Department Parking Enforcement Unit. At this time, administration and enforcement is largely handled via paper, in-person, and/or mail-based methods. The Police Department is working to transition to an online-based system.
DISCUSSION:
Currently, Public Works and Police staff have observed the following issues with the PPP Program. They are shown in the table below. Police Parking Enforcement Unit’s comments can also be found in Attachment 2.
# Issue Effect
1. RBMC 3-7.17 does not allow for the
creation of temporary PPP zones in
response to large scale public and /
or temporary events due to current
requirement that parking conflicts
occur on “regular and significant
daily or weekly intervals.”
Events such as the Seaside Holiday Lights in
Torrance cause undue traffic and parking
impacts in Redondo neighborhoods.
2. RBMC allows only a 2/3 majority of
residents to advance consideration
to add, modify, or remove PPP
zones. All PPP zone changes must
go through the same petition
process on the subject block.
Consideration to remove or modify existing
PPP zones in consideration of other needs is
impeded due to reliance on resident support
likely unaware of other needs. Residents on
adjacent blocks outside a PPP zone express
frustration to City due to unfairness.
3. Current PPP zones are added and
named block by block, with some
streets in a single neighborhood
containing two zones.
Current PPP program is difficult to administer.
Zone names and boundaries are confusing.
4. Police Department does not yet
have the capabilities to broadly
enforce PPPs using automated
license plate readers (ALPR).
PPPs require physical permits that can be easy
to forge, hard to transfer. City is not yet able to
introduce more dynamic parking regulations in
PPP zones. All PPP zones are binary. Parking
either allowed or disallowed during posted
times. City is unable to enforce unmetered time
limit zones or allow visitors to park without
going through the permit process with their
resident sponsor.
Some of these issues are due to restrictive language found in the RBMC, while other issues are due to the current administrative systems. For example, changes to the RBMC would be required to authorize designated staff to investigate whether a permit zone could be removed without petition of residents, subject to a public hearing by the PWSC. The RBMC would also need to be changed to authorize short-term PPP zones for public hearing 3 approval. Lastly, some desired changes to the PPP program may require additional parking enforcement resources, such as additional automated license plate readers (ALPR). The Police Department is looking to implement an online permit system and improved enforcement technologies in the next year or so. Improved technologies could allow the City to introduce creative PPP zone regulations that allow short-term (1-2 hour) public parking within the PPP zone, while exempting permit holders from short-term limits. This is common in other cities and reduces the need for visitor permits. Currently, all residents within a PPP zone must apply and pay for visitor permits for any vendors, friends, family, or others who visit their homes during restricted parking periods.
At this time, staff recommends consideration of the following changes to the PPP Program:
1. Clarify and affirm the City Manager or designee’s authority to bring forward the addition, revision, or removal of a PPP zone to the PWSC for consideration via public hearing. (This is the first step to address obsolete zones and the effects of seasonal events zones.)
2. Establish annual limits for one-day visitor permits.
3. Establish a limit on the number of PPPs per address/dwelling unit.
4. Continue transition to an online-based, license plate-based parking permit system as resources allow. (Stickers would no longer be required, but additional funding may be required to implement ALPR more widely across the Parking Enforcement Unit. This change is in the planning stages.)
5. Organize the City into administrative parking districts to simplify the number of PPP zones. Streets that meet RBMC PPP zone thresholds and are approved for preferential parking would join the parking district. The inclusion of PPP zones will allow for permit parking for special events such as Seaside Holiday Lights in Torrance or BeachLife concerts. Each parking district would largely correspond to a single permit type/zone. Some parking districts may contain additional permit types for special circumstances like employee permits. (Santa Monica, Culver City, Inglewood and West Hollywood are among the various cities in the region that are divided into parking districts.)
Staff is soliciting additional input from the public and the Commission as it develops recommendations for reconsideration of the RBMC’s parking permit programs in conjunction with the Police Department and for potential consideration by the City Council.
COORDINATION:
Coordination of this report took place within the Public Works Department and with the Police Department.
Prepared by:
Ryan Liu, Principal Transportation Engineer
Submitted by:
Andrew Winje, Public Works Director
4 ATTACHMENTS:
1 – Existing Preferential Parking Permit Zones
2 – Police Parking Enforcement Unit Comments
Coordinate System: NAD 1983 StatePlane California V FIPS 0405 Feet Exported:6/3/2025 !
!
! !
!
!
!
!
!
!
!
!
!
!
!
!
!
!
!
!
!
!
!
!
!
!
!
!
!
!
! !
!
!
!
!
!
!
!
!
! !
!
!
!
!
!
!
!
!
!
!
!
!
!
!
!
!!
!!
!
!
!
!
!
!
!
!
!
!
!
!
!
!
!
!
!
!
!
!
!
!
! !!!
!
!
!
! !
! ! !
! !
!
!
!
!
!
!
!
!
!
!
!
!
!
!
!
!
!
!!
!
!
!
!
!
!
!
!
!
!
!
!!
!
!
!
!
BNSF RR
BNSF RR
GRANT AVE
S PACIFIC C OAST HWY
S PACIFIC COAST HWY
N PACIFIC COAST HWY
KNOB HILL AVE
KNOB HILL AVE
PACIFIC COAST HWY
DEL AMO ST
DEL AMO ST
ANITA ST
DIAMOND ST
N
S
E
P
U
L
V
E
D
A
B
L
V
D
N
S
E
P
U
L
V
E
D
A
B
L
V
D
ARTESIA BLVD
N
HARBOR
DR
N
HARBOR
DR
A
INGLEWOOD AVE
VIATION
B
LV
D
AVIATION
B
LV
D
TORRANC E
T
BLVD
ORRANCE BLVD
PALOS VERDES BLVD
PALOS VERDES BLVD
ESPLANADE
182ND ST
N
CATA
L
I
NA
AVE
N
CATA
L
I
NA
AVE
BERYL ST
BERYL ST
S
C
ATA
L
NI A
AV
E
S
C
ATA
L
NI A
AV
E
CAMINO REAL
CAMINO REAL
MANHATTAN BEACH BLVD
HAWTHORNE BLVD
N
P
R
O
S
P
E
CT
AV
E
N
P
R
O
S
P
E
CT
AV
E
S
B
R
O
A
D
WAY
S
B
R
O
A
D
WAY
MARINE AVE
190TH ST
S
P
R
O
S
P
E
C
T
AV
E
S
P
R
O
S
P
E
C
T
AV
E
HERONDO ST
HERONDO ST
Beryl
Heights
School
Birney
School
Valor
Christian
Academy
Jefferson
School
Lincoln
School
Madison
School
Tulita
School
South
Bay
Adult
School
(SBAS)
Adams
Middle
School
Transit
Center
AES
USPS
USPS
Northrop
Grumman
South
Bay
Galleria
Beach
Cities
Health
District
SCE
R/W
SCE
R/W
SCE
R/W
Pier
So
Cal
Gas
Cal
Water
Wylie
Sump
Riviera
Village
City
Hall
The
Kensington
§¨¦405
Seaside
Lagoon
Czuleger
Hopkins
Wilderness
Perry
Franklin
Veterans
Alta
Vista
Anderson
Aviation
Dominguez
MANHATTAN BEACH
HERMOSA BEACH
MANHATTAN BEACH
REDONDO BEACH
LAWNDALE
TORRANCE
LAWNDALE
REDONDO BEACH
TORRANCE
REDONDO BEACH
HERMOSA BEACH
REDONDO BEACH
Permit Zones
8 AM - 10 PM : Every Day
7 PM - 6AM : Every Day
8 PM - 3 AM : Every Day
10 PM - 3 AM : Every Day
24 Hrs : Everyday
6 AM - 6 PM Mon-Fri
8 AM - 6 PM Mon-Fri
8 AM - 10 PM Mon - Fri
2 PM - 10 PM Mon-Fri, 8
AM - 10 PM Sat
10 AM - 8PM Seasonal,
Nov. 15 - Dec. 31
Preferential Parking Zones
±
1 Ryan Liu
From: Nicole Merrill
Sent: Tuesday, June 10, 2025 10:52
To: Ryan Liu
Cc: Brian Long; MSO
Subject: RE: Preferential parking
Hi Ryan,
The timing of potential changes to the PPP could be ideal as we are working on transitioning to an online portal for permit distribution. With this residents would upload their documents, staff would verify submissions, and once approved residents would pay and come in person to pick up. Below are my thoughts on potential changes to PPP.
The ability to create PPP for large scale events may be beneficial. There is a possibility of backlash from the residents in the permitted zones near the high school. When there are large scale public events in this area ( graduation and K9 Show) city council exempts the permits. The ability to allow the City Engineer to add, modify, or remove areas is needed. An example of an zone that should be removed would be the “Holiday Permits “ in the area of the Galleria, which no longer creates spillover parking in the adjacent neighborhood. The continuance of this permit creates an inconvenience for the residents and an unnecessary task with expenses for supplies for staff. Larger permit areas instead of multiple permits in the same area. Example V and V2 permits. I currently have one unit with an ALPR, which would be insufficient equipment to move to all virtual permits However, it would allow for the enforcement of timed areas within a zone. An example of this would be allowing one hour unpermitted parking in the area of the high school for school business.
Current RBMC allows for each applicant to receive a permit for each vehicle registered at the address within the zone. I would recommend establishing a defined limit on this.
I also would change the term “Visitor Permit” to “Transferable Permit”. Visitor permit causes confusion with the residents, who often think they can apply for this permit without showing any documentation.
Rev. September 2025
Public Works | Engineering
415 Diamond Street
Redondo Beach, CA 90277
Tel: 310.318.0661
[email protected]
Redondo.org
Redondo Beach Preferential Permit Parking Request Policy In Accordance with Redondo Beach Municipal Code (RBMC) §3-7.17
1. Request & Petition
Resident(s) seeking a preferential parking zone (PPZ) must initiate the request by soliciting a petition for their street(s) or area. The petition must be signed by at least 60% of residents (one vote per household) in the proposed PPZ. The initiating resident(s) shall work with the Engineering Services Division (ESD) to properly define the boundaries and proposed restrictions for the PPZ before gathering signatures using ESD-provided forms. The completed petition must be submitted to the ESD for residency verification.
2. Parking Study and Engineering Evaluation
After verification, ESD will perform a parking study to determine if the proposed PPZ is excessively impacted by non-resident vehicle parking. Non-resident vehicles are defined as those registered to an address more than 500 feet away from the PPZ. An excessively impacted street is generally defined as one experiencing an overall parking occupancy of at least 75% AND at least 25% of those parked vehicles are non-resident, as defined above.
ESD will consider the potential effects of the proposed PPZ on neighboring residents, other nearby land uses, and the public. ESD will also confirm compliance with relevant laws. More information on the determination of findings to justify a PPZ can be found in RBMC §3-7.1702.
3. Public Meetings & Approval
If ESD determines that a PPZ is justified, a recommendation will be agendized at a Public Works & Sustainability Commission (PWSC) meeting for consideration. All residents and occupants within 500 feet of the proposed PPZ will be noticed of the PWSC meeting. If the PWSC recommends the PPZ, it will be forwarded to the City Council for consideration (approval or denial). The City Council makes the final decision on whether to approve the PPZ. If the PWSC denies the PPZ, an appeal can be made to the City Council via a referral by the Councilmember for the District in which the proposed PPZ is located.
Rev. September 2025
Public Works | Engineering
415 Diamond Street
Redondo Beach, CA 90277
Tel: 310.318.0661
[email protected]
Redondo.org
4. Implementation & Administration
If the City Council approves the PPZ (assuming no other regulatory approvals are required), the Public Works and Police Departments will assign the PPZ to the City’s working permit program and alert residents of the parking regulation changes. Police will administer the permit program and enforce parking regulations, while Public Works will install the necessary signage within the PPZ.