The city of San Diego is considering cracking down even harder on people who leave their cars or trucks parked in the same spot on the public street for too long.
It is already illegal to leave a vehicle parked on any of San Diego's public roadways for more than three days straight, but city officials say the rule has been difficult to enforce due to cars moving the shortest distance to avoid getting towed.
The San Diego City Council's Public Safety Committee voted unanimously on Oct. 18 to approve an amendment to the San Diego Municipal Code related to 72-hour parking violations, increasing the required distance a vehicle must be moved when left on the public roadway for 72 consecutive hours.
Under the amended code, vehicles must travel at least half a mile instead of one-tenth of a mile to restart the three-day timer.
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The one-tenth-mile designation for SDMC 86.0137 — "Prohibition of Use of Streets for Storage, Service or Sale of Vehicles or For Habitation" — was created in 1985 when officers would look through windows and check the odometer to determine if the vehicle moved far enough, according to a staffer for Mayor Todd Gloria.
"The current distance of one-tenth of a mile is an outdated requirement that inhibits effective enforcement of this municipal code," Kohta Zaiser, Gloria's deputy director of community engagement, said in a presentation.
By increasing the required distance, he says the city will be able to better enforce regulations using visual determinations and improve parking turnover, especially in commercial corridors.
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Since the beginning of the year, the city's Get It Done tipster app has received more than 37,000 reports about 72-hour parking violations, averaging around 130 complaints per day.
Once officers investigate a complaint, they will leave a pink warning notice on the vehicle. If the vehicle has not moved the appropriate distance when police return in the next 72 hours, they will have it towed or issue a citation. The fine amount is $53.50, with a $41.00 first late fee and a $10.00 second late fee, according to the city's website.
Councilmember Jennifer Campbell, who represents the city's District 2 beach communities and Clairemont, said that illegally parked vehicles blocking the roadways have been a big issue among her constituents.
"People get a citation, and then they move it like 3 feet or something," Campbell said during the committee meeting. "They get away with it under the old law, so it's very important that we make this advancement."
Some San Diegans say the measure should go even further.
"A half mile is better than a tenth of a mile, but I would go as far as three-quarters of a mile or one mile," one resident said during public comment on the agenda item.
The Public Safety Committee voted 3-0, with Councilmember Raul Campillo of District 7 absent, to approve the amendment to the existing ordinance. It still needs to go to the full City Council for consideration.
The amendment will require two hearings, and the second one will occur in December at the earliest, according to a spokesperson for Gloria.
If approved, the change will take effect 30 days after the second hearing.
