DATE: APRIL 21, 2026
DEPARTMENT: PUBLIC WORKS, TRAFFIC & TRANSPORTATION DIVISION FROM: DAVID JACOBS, PUBLIC WORKS DIRECTOR
BY: ADRIANA ROBLES, CITY ENGINEER
GERARDO RODRIGUEZ, ASSISTANT ENGINEER
TITLE: PARKING CITATION FINES SCHEDULE UPDATE
RECOMMENDED MOTION:
A motion to approve a Resolution adopting the updated Schedule of Parking Citation Fines.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:
The City last updated its parking citation fines schedule in 2023, when Council approved fines for all local and state parking violations while removing obsolete or duplicate codes. Following a comparative study of neighboring jurisdictions, staff are recommending an update to the parking citation fines schedule to ensure our fines remain consistent with nearby agencies.
BACKGROUND:
Assembly Bill 408, passed in 1992, allows agencies to establish their own parking citation fines. However, California Vehicle Code Section (CVC) 40203.5 states, “to the extent possible, issuing agencies within the same county shall standardize parking penalties.”. The City of Salinas established a Bail Schedule for Parking Violations in 1994 (Attachment 3), increased fines in 2004 (Attachment 4), and updated fines in 2017 (Attachment 5). In 2018, three new municipal code parking violations were added for oversize vehicles (Attachment 6) and incorporated to the fines schedule.
The most recent update to the parking citation fines schedule was approved in 2023, through Resolution No. 22683 and update included a complete and comprehensive review of local and state parking violations and established comparable fines to nearby agencies, in accordance with CVC Section 40203.5.
The proposed Schedule of Parking Citation Fines (Attachment 1) was developed based on a comparison of the available parking citation fines for similar violations from nearby cities (Attachment 2). Staff have calculated an average fine from available data for comparison. In some cases, there are notable statistical outliers that affect the average calculation, and some consideration was given to their effect. Generally, staff’s recommended citation fine is based off the calculated average fine rounded to the nearest $5 increment or aligned with similar types of parking violations. The baseline parking fine is set at $50.00 for many common parking violations. Citations for code sections with similar violation are proposed with consistent citation fines to standardize the fine schedule as much as possible.
This year a new fine is being introduced and added to account for the Daylighting Law, Assembly Bill 413 (AB 413). AB 413(Attachment 7) was signed into law on October 10, 2023, and became effective on January 1, 2024. The law provided a one-year warning for violation of the law which would allow for agencies after January 1, 2025, to issue citations. AB 413 prohibits vehicles from stopping, standing or parking within 20 feet of the vehicle approach side of any marked or unmarked crosswalk or within 15 feet of any crosswalk where a curb extension is present. AB 413 increases visibility for pedestrians crossing at marked and unmarked crosswalks. The proposed parking citation fine for AB 413 violations is $50.00.
Enforcement of the daylighting law will primarily be handled by LAZ. The biggest challenge will come from the lack of physical markings, which could lead to disputes from residents. Proper photo documentation will be key to minimizing the contested citations. LAZ photo documents all the citations that they issue. The automatic license plate readers (ALPR) will not be used for daylighting citations. ALPR is effective for time-based enforcement. ALPR will be used to improve overall route efficiency, allowing officers to spend more time addressing safety related issues like daylighting.
Traffic and Transportation Commission
From its December 11, 2025, meeting, the Traffic and Transportation Commission, following review of AB 413, recommends the City Council to add a $45.00 fine to the Schedule of Parking Citation Fines for daylighting parking violations pursuant to Assembly Bill 413. Following review of the entire citation fine schedule, Staff recommends a $50.00 fine for AB 413 parking violation consistent with other similar violations. Staff presented the parking citation fines schedule update to the Traffic and Transportation Commission at its meeting on April 9, 2026.
CEQA CONSIDERATION:
Not a Project. The City of Salinas has determined that the proposed action is not a project as defined by the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) (CEQA Guidelines Section 15378). In addition, CEQA Guidelines Section 15061 includes the general rule that CEQA applies only to activities which have the potential for causing a significant effect on the environment. Where it can be seen with certainty that there is no possibility that the activity in question may have a significant effect on the environment, the activity is not subject to CEQA. Because the proposed action and this matter have no potential to have any effect on the environment, or because it falls within a category of activities excluded as projects pursuant to CEQA Guidelines section 15378, this matter is not a project. Because the matter does not cause a direct or foreseeable indirect physical change on or in the environment, this matter is not a project. Any subsequent discretionary projects resulting from this action will be assessed for CEQA applicability.
CALIFORNIA GOVERNMENT CODE §84308 APPLIES:
No.
STRATEGIC PLAN INITIATIVE:
This item supports City Council Goal of “Public Safety”.
DEPARTMENTAL COORDINATION:
The Salinas Police Department and the Public Works Department both provide parking enforcement services. Public Works currently contracts parking enforcement services to LAZ.
FISCAL AND SUSTAINABILITY IMPACT:
The Parking Enforcement Program revenues are intended to offset operating costs. However, any time there is a shortage in revenues for any given program, the General Fund is responsible for subsidizing those programs. Increasing fines help ensure less General Fund support is needed.
Fund
General Ledger Number
(Operating/CIP)
General Ledger Account Name
Remaining Budget Appropriation
Amount Requested
N/A
N/A
N/A
N/A
N/A
ATTACHMENTS:
Attachment 1: Proposed Schedule of Parking Citation Fines Attachment 2: Bail Schedule Comparison
Attachment 3: 1994 Parking Fines Update
Attachment 4: 2004 Parking Fines Update
Attachment 5: 2017 Parking Fines Update
Attachment 6: 2018 Parking Fines Update
Attachment 7: Bill Text – AB-413 Vehicles – stopping, standing, and parking Page | 3
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