REQUEST FOR CITY COUNCIL ACTION
SUBMITTED TO: Honorable Mayor and City Council Members
SUBMITTED BY: Travis Hopkins, City Manager
VIA: Eric Parra, Chief of Police
PREPARED BY: Thoby Archer, Lieutenant and Kimberly Rodriguez, Management Analyst
Subject:
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Adopt Resolution No. 2025-53 Updating the Uniform Bail Schedule for Parking Violations & Establishing CPI-Based Annual Adjustments
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Statement of Issue:
The City's current Uniform Bail Schedule for parking violations has not been updated in over five years. Staff have determined that our parking fine amounts are below the industry standard compared to other coastal cities, while parking complaints continue to rise. Staff recommend adopting a revised schedule that better reflects current conditions and includes a yearly adjustment based on the Consumer Price Index (CPI). This will help ensure that parking fines remain fair and consistent with economic changes.
Financial Impact:
The proposed changes are expected to increase parking fine revenue by updating fine amounts and encouraging timely payment through late fees. It is anticipated that we will see an increase in revenue of approximately $1,000,000 based on the number of citations issued annually. The annual CPI-based adjustment will help ensure that future fine amounts keep up with inflation. No significant costs are expected to implement these changes.
Recommended Action:
recommendation
Adopt Resolution No. 2025-53, “A Resolution of the City Council of the City of Huntington Beach Adopting an Amended Uniform Bail Schedule for Parking Violations”, which rescinds Resolution No. 2020-53 and approves an updated Uniform Bail Schedule for parking violations, as outlined in Exhibit A. The resolution also establishes a $25 administrative fee for late payment of parking citations in accordance with California Vehicle Code Section 40207(a) and introduces an annual adjustment to parking fines based on the Consumer Price Index (CPI) for the Los Angeles-Riverside-Orange County region. This CPI adjustment will be annually applied automatically to help ensure that fines remain equitable and reflect changes in inflation.
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Alternative Action(s):
Do not approve and direct staff accordingly.
Analysis:
Staff found that Huntington Beach parking fines are lower than those in nearby cities. Updating the bail schedule and adding an annual CPI-based adjustment will make fines more consistent regionally and ensure they keep up with inflation automatically, without requiring yearly Council approval. The proposed resolution also introduces a $25 administrative fee for parking citations that are not paid within 21 calendar days of issuance or 14 days after the mailing of a delinquent notice, consistent with California Vehicle Code Section 40207. The fee is intended to encourage timely payment and reduce the need for follow-up enforcement. The updated fine schedule and changes are included in Exhibit A to the resolution.
Environmental Status:
This action is not subject to the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) pursuant to Sections 15060(c)(2) (the activity will not result in a direct or reasonably foreseeable indirect physical change in the environment) and 15060(c)(3) (the activity is not a project as defined in Section 15378) of the CEQA Guidelines, California Code of Regulations, Title 14, Chapter 3, because it has no potential for resulting in physical change to the environment, directly or indirectly
Strategic Plan Goal:
Goal 2 - Fiscal Stability, Strategy A - Consider new revenue sources and opportunities to support the City's priority initiatives and projects.
For details, www.huntingtonbeachca.gov/strategicplan.
Attachment(s):
1. Resolution No. 2025-53
2. Recommended Bail Schedule