01-27-09, Bruce Philpott’s Opinion on Pay-Parking on Brand Blvd.

Bill Weisman’s defense of the new Brand Blvd. pay-parking scheme rings hollow. Let’s be honest, it’s simply another Glendale city revenue raising initiative aimed at offsetting the skyrocketing costs the city council has failed to control. In the last decade, Glendale’s city workforce has grown six times faster than the general population.

The wages and benefits of Glendale city employees now greatly outstrip those of the taxpayers who are footing the bill. These are harsh economic times: some citizens are losing their homes or jobs; others see wages flat-lined; still others live paycheck to paycheck.

We are a city with many retirees and people on fixed incomes. I’ve seen Glendale grant pay and benefit packages that far exceed those granted to private sector workers. We now have some of California’s highest utility rates, a portion of which Glendale transfers to its general fund. Glendale is even seeking federal funds to help bail it out of its latest budget fix.

It is weak to argue that pay-parking was sought by merchants, or that the merchants’ own employees were the problem. It is also weak to argue that this revenue program passed because no citizens showed up at public hearings. Weisman is a representative of all Glendale citizens, including those who aren’t aware of the public hearings, those who can’t take time off work, and those who don’t show. Likewise, Brand’s free street parking had always had a two-hour parking limit, even for employees of the merchants, and parking enforcement officers ticketed those who stayed longer. Now, it is more labor-intensive to ticket parking violators because the windshields must be checked for time-stamped parking receipts. As I walk down Brand, I see large new parking signs clutter the streetscape. I see parking machines taking up scarce sidewalk space. I see confused shoppers wasting time at the parking machines, buying paper receipts, and then shuttling back to place the receipts in their cars. I also see new litter in the streets from expired parking receipts.

Until Glendale gets its fiscal house in order, Glendale residents will continue to suffer more of this.

Bruce Philpott

Candidate for Glendale City Council

818.240.8949

email: brcphilpott1@aol.com