Opinion: AutoVu Parking Enforcement Technology Is Hogwash

—Submitted by Los Gatos resident Larry Arzie

I read on Los Gatos Patch that a new camera/GPS system will be put into place this year to catch overtime parkers in the downtown.

It was explained that it is safer and more efficient for the meter maid, etc., etc. Hogwash. It will only bring in more revenue and hurt business.

Parking space shortage has a direct link to our town management for the past 10 years.

In the past five years, we have had more retail-to-restaurant conversions and conditional-use permit intensification than in the past 25 years.

Now town management wants to open up parking spaces by making it easier to write more tickets. This is a regressive process hurting those who can afford it the least: small business and employees.

By allowing more restaurants and bars, and even new construction, town management has reduced the availability of spaces and brought circulation to a stand still. 

Employees will be forced to park in the neighborhoods creating an impossible situation there.

Town management fed our Los Gatos Town Council inaccurate information with regard to the movie house on North Santa Cruz Avenue.

Town management was asked to "do better in the future" by the Council.

We have very strong parking regulations, which up to 10 years ago were badly administered. Those regulations, however, were at least followed for the most part. 

An example of that was when the Los Gatos Opera House wanted to convert its second floor to a banquet facility. The business was made to provide parking and or valet service. The business owner rented a lot for years.

The exact same situation occurred with the movie house but its owners were allowed a free pass. Why? Town management, off course.

One-way streets and diagonal parking are being considered. This subject was brought up at the Dec. 3 parking meeting a few weeks ago and numerous voices said no.

The need for one or two parking garages has consensus but with legal regulations that will prevent further intensification. 

Few property owners will sign on to another 25-year parking assessment district that is tacked onto rents without a binding promise to follow the rules.

We have excellent existing parking district regulations that provide for this now but are not followed. They must now be accompanied by a legal contract if we are to pay for and build new garages.


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