Fri. Nov 22nd, 2024

The City of Santa Ana Public Works Agency is revamping the permit parking program and they are seeking your input, comments, and suggestions to be included in the proposed “Scope of Work” that will define the new Residential Permit Parking Program for years to come.

The purpose of residential permit parking is to enhance the quality of life in the residential neighborhoods by reducing noise, parking congestion, traffic hazards and illegal activities. This is accomplished by limiting the number of street parked vehicles on a residential block within a permit parking district. Every effort is made to achieve this purpose with minimum impact on adjacent commercial establishments, residences, and institutions.

A permit parking district is a geographic area of the City established by resolution by the City Council. The resolution designates the boundaries of the permit-parking district, specifies the parking limitations that apply within the district and the parking permit qualification process.

After a need for permit parking has been investigated and confirmed by the City, or an interest form is requested and fulfilled, permit parking may be put in on a block-by-block basis through a City supplied petition. For a petition to pass, at least 66% of the affected residential property owners must indicate their support for permit parking on their block. The City will determine the adequacy of the petition in accordance with the City Code. Ineligible properties typically do not have the permit parking restriction placed along their frontage.

Residents are typically eligible for permits if they live on a qualifying block and in either of the following:

  1. Single-family homes: Up to three parking permits. 75 guest permits per year, per home.
  2. Multi-family family homes with two to four units per parcel: 1 parking permit maximum per dwelling unit and no guest permits.

Please contact the City at 714-647-5623 or email them at permitparking@santa-ana.org for more information and/or to set up a meeting for a presentation to your neighborhood.

Learn more about the Residential Permit Parking Program at https://www.santa-ana.org/pw/parking-permits.

Programa de Permiso de Estacionamiento Residencial 

La Agencia de Obras Públicas de la Ciudad de Santa Ana está renovando el Programa de Permiso de Estacionamiento Residencial y queremos sus opiniones, comentarios, y sugerencias. Para programar una presentación en su vecindario o para obtener más información, contáctenos al 714-647-5623 o envíe un correo electrónico a permitparking@santa-ana.org.

Obtenga más información sobre el Programa de Estacionamiento con Permiso Residencial en https://www.santa-ana.org/pw/parking-permits.

Giấy Phép Đậu Xe ở Khu Dân Cư

Cơ Quan Công Chánh của Thành Phố Santa Ana đang thay đổi Chương Trình cho Giấy Phép Đậu Xe ở Khu Dân Cư và chúng tôi mong muốn nhận được ý kiến, góp ý và nhận xét của quý vị. Để sắp xếp một buổi thuyết trình cho khu phố của quý vị hoặc tìm hiểu thêm thông tin, vui lòng liên hệ với chúng tôi theo số 714-647-5623 hoặc email permitparking@santa-ana.org.

Tìm hiểu thêm về Chương Trình cho Giấy Phép Đậu Xe ở Khu Dân Cư tại https://www.santa-ana.org/pw/parking-permits.

author avatar
Art Pedroza Editor
Our Editor, Art Pedroza, worked at the O.C. Register and the OC Weekly and studied journalism at CSUF and UCI. He has lived in Santa Ana for over 30 years and has served on several city and county commissions. When he is not writing or editing Pedroza specializes in risk control and occupational safety. He also teaches part time at Cerritos College and CSUF. Pedroza has an MBA from Keller University.

By Art Pedroza

Our Editor, Art Pedroza, worked at the O.C. Register and the OC Weekly and studied journalism at CSUF and UCI. He has lived in Santa Ana for over 30 years and has served on several city and county commissions. When he is not writing or editing Pedroza specializes in risk control and occupational safety. He also teaches part time at Cerritos College and CSUF. Pedroza has an MBA from Keller University.

16 thoughts on “New City of Santa Ana Parking Permit Program is in the works”
  1. Horrible idea, only reason they are doing this is to make money. City of Santa Ana tax payers will pay for the Signs, enforcement, and etc. Then the Parking person dose not see the permit and writes you a ticket now you have to spent hours of your time to get the parking ticket fixed. Just a horrible idea. I mean who comes up with this?!!?

  2. There are people who have more than one can and take up space !!!! their cars don’t go anywhere !!!!I’ve seen them bring a car move the car that’s been parked and park the one they were in !!!!! They also leave wide gaps so no one can park and also a parking spot where 2 or 3 cars can fit they either park in the middle or leave gaps so no one else can fit !!!!

  3. I have been a resident of Santa Ana, French Park for 45 years. I lived here before our current Permit Parking Program was in place. During that time, our neighborhood street was wall to wall cars both during the day and overnight. Many vehicles were never moved except on street sweeping days. People from other neighborhood parked their cars for days, weeks outside of your house. There was a lot more illegal activities taking place, police presents was more common, definitely more accidents, littering and neighborhood blight. Since we have had a Permit Parking Program for the past 20 plus years, most of what I described is no longer a major issue. The only issue I have with the program it’s not enforced often enough but I understand why. We’ll get enforcement for a week or two, people get the point and stop parking overnight illegally. A few more weeks go by, illegally parking starts back up and the cycle begins. I understand Parking Enforcement has to be optimized. For our neighborhood, I think you should leave our Permit Parking program as is. Sometimes the right thing to do is nothing.

    As a side note, a Parking Permit Program may help control people from living in their vehicles on city streets; may help control temporary guests from taking up parking spaces when they rent the Airbnb next door.

    Thanks, Jim

    1. It’s silly to have any of these rules when people who rent or own both okay taxes. Homeowners do not own the street. This is discrimination for those those who rent. If they where allowed to park on their streets they would not have to go park in your neighborhood. I own 2 homes. Own, I don’t have mortgage on either one. Parking is done on my driveway.

  4. It would be FAIR for the City of Santa Ana to allow ALL homeowners, regardless of type of dwelling, to apply for a parking permit, or allow one permit per household. This does NOT mean to get rid of permit parking all together. With the currently permit parking program, only single family homeowners (who already have their own driveways and garages by the way) and multi-family homes with two to four units per parcel are eligible for a parking permit. That is a form of HOUSING DISCRIMINATION.

    The PURPOSE of the permit parking permit, taken straight from the City of Santa Ana website it to, “enhance the quality of life in the residential neighborhoods by reducing noise, parking congestion, traffic hazards and illegal activities.” Who’s life are they trying to enhance? Those who own homes and already have multiple parking spaces and don’t have to stress about parking a mile away and walking home in the dark? What options do we get? Even if we live in condos, we are still tax paying homeowners who deserve the same treatment as our fellow single family homeowners.

  5. Thank you for setting this thread up.

    I like what Carol has commented, especially the part about quality of life the city of Santa Ana wants to enhance – it is obviously for homeowners who already have their own driveways and 2-3 garage ports.

    I have been a resident in one of the units owned by Hillview Regency for the past 5 years. When i purchased the condo, the parking was not so bad and limited as it is now. We only have 2 cars in our household, and i find it is frustrating to find parking after 6PM – i kind of surprise how family with 3-4 cars manage to find any parkings at all.

    Before the pandemic, when i got out of work at 6-7PM, i could not find parking in our community parking spot. I walked for 3/4 mile to park at the end of the street (culdesac) where the sign ‘NO parking except with valid permit’ has another sign by the size of 3x6in. noted “END” on top of it, and it was acceptable to park there without getting tickets. But one morning i found a ticket citation on my windshield. It turned out that the homeowners there had requested the city to take off that 3x6in ‘END’ sign, and the street is now required a residential parking permit.

    During the pandemic, while people are staying home 100% of the time or not bother going anywhere and we (my brother and I) are still working full-time. There are so many days i got home at 7PM and could not find any parking no matter how long i wait, because nobody is leaving their home. I walked 1/2 mile to the intersection of Catalina/Tustin to park where the sign noted an ‘END’ to those No parking signs. Yet, I got another citation ticket yesterday morning because once again that ‘END’ sign has been taken off, but an exhausted and stressed person like me after 10 hours of working just wanted to somehow park my car and get home without bother looking to see if the sign has been changed. If the city did anything, they indeed have enhanced the single homeowners quality of life, but have worsen mine to rock bottom. Now, I need to walk more than a mile to find parking on the 17th street (mostly packed all of the time) or just have to sleep in my car to prevent it from getting towed.

    I earnestly request that the city allow the residents to buy at least 1 city parking permit no matter which dwelling they live in. As a local taxpayers, it is only FAIR that we can park freely on the street. I am willing to talk to the single homeonwers to let them know that it is someone who live very close to them and not some strangers who would park and do illegal activities or left trash in front of their homes. If this request is not even being looked at, then i think these ‘NO Parking’ signs are very discrimatory which prevent us from being able to utilize the streets that we are paying to maintain.

    I usually do not comment about the resolution made by the city because i just know that one person’s opinion is not going to change anything. But i do now and a long comment at that because i am desperate.

    1. Thanks for your comment! I know the folks at city hall follow our blog so cross your fingers that they will pat heed to this thread.

  6. I agree with Carols’ comment. The Santa Ana permit parking program is very discriminatory towards condominium owners who are also homeowners and taxpayers. We have the same parking problem in our neighborhood. Westwood Ave is one of the few streets in the area that doesn’t require a permit and is overloaded with cars from out of the neighborhood, some of which are hardly ever moved or driven. The working taxpaying residents of our condominiums cannot park their cars in their own neighborhood if they arrive home anytime after 2PM. The surrounding streets that require permits are mostly empty and could easily alleviate the problem. The city of Santa Ana won’t allow our condominium owners to purchase a permit to park in our own neighborhood. Meanwhile all of the homeowners who choose to use their garages for things other than parking their cars in are allowed to obtain permits and plenty of guest passes. If the concern is to enhance the quality of life in the residential areas then open up the streets so all neighborhood residents have a place to park reasonably close to their homes and allow all the residents of those neighborhoods to obtain permits. The neighborhood residents are not the people causing the problems of the “noise, parking congestion, traffic hazards and illegal activities.” It is the people who don’t live in the neighborhood that cause the problems and they can be kept out by allowing only neighborhood residents to obtain permits regardless of what type of housing they own.

  7. I agree, i co-own a duplex in Santa Ana and i only get to purchase 1 parking permit. With my teenager getting ready to drive, it discriminates from single family owners who get 3 permits.

  8. Just because you have to pay for parking doesn’t mean It’s enhancing your lifestyle. Just another silly way for the city to make money off of people who think that’s lavish. Majority of the people do not live in a gated security community.

    1. Nobody was really talking about enhancing anyone’s lifestyle – quality of life has a different meaning. It does not matter if you live somewhere with gated community or an open one, we just want to park on the street overnight like single homeowners without getting ticket. Paying for parking ‘permit’ which is ~$75/2years to show your neighbors that you are someone who live there and not someone who buys it because you think it’s a lavish lifestyle.

  9. In my opinion, it is imperative, and absolutely the most desirable to KEEP our existing permit parking as is, in place!!! as it serves the needs of many neighborhoods that are infiltrated with homeless people coming to park in their van/car in the daytime/anytime and sleep in the car. We here in South Coast Metro – 6-7 Neighborhood associations speak about the fact that, people will come into our tracts and park and walk back to their condos, or have someone pick them up from where they park their car for days in our tract. We totally NEED
    to have some measure of control over the influx of happening. We in the REPUBLIC HOMES N.A. cherish our permit parking, as important and the only viable way to have some measure of parking for our own residents. Otherwise it will be CHAOS… (PARKING LOTS) my residents will be calling the parking control on these people that feel that they can park here illegally. We are not looking forward to every street in our tract bunched up with bumper to bumper cars… no real recourse or control…
    What a mess we face if you decide to take away the PERMIT PARKING … and only have one sign for 12-6am no parking. Let us keep our permits PLEASE!!!
    Katherine Freeman
    President – Republic Homes N.A.

  10. 2/3/22, I left my original comments, and my opinion hasn’t changed. I do think owner occupied condo owners should have the right to purchases a parking permit. They pay taxes just like any other homeowner. I don’t think condos that are used for commercial purposes, like Airbnb, rentals, etc. should have the option. Have them use the condo’s assigned space or garage. Over the last few years, these temporary guests have created parking issues in our neighborhood. Thanks, Jim

    1. Renters also pay taxes for public streets. You do not own the street. Use your driveway or garage.

  11. — Read —

    I have received around 15 parking tickets. Close to 1000$ in about 5 months living in Santa Ana. I am low income and live in apartments with family.
    Santa ana Public Works denies me a parking permit because my apartment has more than approximately 8 units. They do not provide any alternatives. So I am just left scrambling/ worrying.
    Santa ana is favoring homeowners which is 12% of the population more than apartment renters which is 84%.
    Majority of Santa Ana Ward 5 is comprised of apartment renters. And a lot of these apartments are families renting apartments that have more than 8 units.
    According to Santa Ana Ward 5 website https://www.santa-ana.org/documents/willard-neighborhood-demographics/

    The police is doing there job in enforcing tickets but its just causing harm to majority of the community when they are supposed to be supporting them. Keep in mind that 84% are renters which can be low income families.
    Does Santa Ana not want families to live in rented apartments with more than 10 units? Because if they keep receiving tickets due to these badly old constructed Traffic engineering sign postage in Ward 5, people will start thinking that.
    This is due to to old – Traffic engineering sign postage specifically the no parking from 2am-6am.
    I have to wake up at 2am just to move my car which is absurd and shouldn’t be happening and yet this is a reality for most. I find myself loosing sleep and its affecting my health and the communities that are going through the same thing.

    More enforcement in parking tickets started taking place to due help the community through traffic enforcement which is ironic because like I said I received around 15 tickets close 1000$ how is this helping me. They should change the Traffic engineering signs or re-work the permit parking permits so I do not have to wake up at 2am to move my car.
    According to this website in code enforcement, https://www.santa-ana.org/ward-5-newsletter-2/

    More enforcement in parking tickets started taking place after the covid lift and the California stimulus. Its as if Santa Ana Ward 5 is trying to recoup all the money lost in parking tickets during the covid outbreak or at least seems like it.

    According to this article there has been recalls going on between council members and the police with negotiations.
    https://www.ocregister.com/2023/01/30/santa-ana-police-union-moves-to-recall-2-councilmembers/

    Volunteers in Neighborhood Associations for Wards/ Districts for City Council members need to get paid, because right now they are doing a lot of the work for the Council member in volunteer biases. If volunteers were to get paid it might even help them focus in and put more of their time into community problems. The community will want to join in these Neighborhood Associations or committees being presented.
    City Council Members need to vote and do test piolets/ approve of them faster to see what works and what does.

    We all deserve to live in peace. Just to end it off. I have to, every day 7 days a week, move my car at 2am because a police person will give me a ticket at 2am. Or i have to pay 1000$ in just 5 months. And nobody should have to do that. Its that simple.

    and I’m not talking about sweeping. I am just talking about the 2am-6am not parking.
    Imagine even if a homeowner would have to wake up 2am just to move their car. Or a city council member.
    it will not be pleasant it that was the case. Again my health is detreating because I am loosing sleep literally. And its not me its majority of people in Ward 5.

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