O26031
City Council Meeting: February 26, 2019 Santa Monica, California
ORDINANCE NUMBER 2603 (CCS)
(City Council Series)
AN ORDINANCE AMENDING SANTA MONICA MUNICIPAL CODE SECTION
3.16.120 TO EXEMPT ADDITIONAL ZERO EMISSION VEHICLES FROM PARKING
METER PAYMENT REQUIREMENTS
WHEREAS, environmental sustainability is a core value of the City of Santa
Monica; and
WHEREAS, the City expresses this value through a broad range of policies,
including policies supporting environmentally sustainable transportation alternatives,
such as clean air vehicles; and
WHEREAS, for over fifteen years, the City has granted various exemptions from
parking charges as a means of encouraging motorists to utilize clean air vehicles; and
WHEREAS, in addition to these environmental goals and policies, the City has also
adopted a policy of managing parking assets to maximize City revenues; and
WHEREAS, the balance between these competing policies must be adjusted from
time to time to promote the public’s welfare; and
WHEREAS, the California legislature adopted a Clean Air Vehicles (CAV) decal
program, administered by the California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV), in order to
encourage the purchase and lease of low-emission vehicles; and
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WHEREAS, the DMV previously issued White CAV decals to zero emission
vehicles (100% battery electric and hydrogen fuel cell) and certain liquefied petroleum
gas (LPG) and compressed natural gas (CNG) fueled vehicles but these decals expired
on January 1, 2019; that meet the same stringent clean air standards as vehicles issued
red or purple clean air decals by the DMV; and
WHEREAS, vehicles issued White CAV decals meet the same stringent clean air
standards as vehicles issued Red or Purple CAV decals, which remain valid; and
WHEREAS, Santa Monica Municipal Code Section 3.16.120 exempts vehicles
bearing Red and Purple CAV decals from parking meter payments but does not exempt
vehicles bearing expired White CAV decals from those requirements; and
WHEREAS, expanding the exemption in Section 3.16.120 to include vehicles
displaying expired White CAV decals allows early adopters of the cleanest vehicles to
receive the same parking benefits as more recent adopters, and appropriately recognizes
that the exemption is tied to the emission levels of the vehicle itself rather than the date
of DMV decal issuance.
NOW, THEREFORE, THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF SANTA MONICA
DOES HEREBY ORDAIN AS FOLLOWS:
SECTION 1. Santa Monica Municipal Code Section 3.16.120 is hereby amended
to read as follows:
3.16.120 Operation of parking meters.
(a) Unless exempt pursuant to subsection (b) or (c) of this Section, when any
vehicle is parked in a metered parking space, the operator immediately shall deposit
payment in the manner prescribed on the parking meter or at the parking space. Unless
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otherwise permitted by law, no person shall park a vehicle in a designated metered
parking space in excess of the maximum parking time limit set by the City.
(b) Subsection (a) of this Section shall not require an operator of a vehicle to
deposit payment in a parking meter when:
(1) The parking meter indicates an unexpired portion remains of the period for
which payment had been previously made; or
(2) An officer of the Fire or Police Department has determined a period of
emergency exists; or
(3) A In compliance with the directions of a police officer or traffic control sign
or signal; or
(4) A posted sign at the parking space indicates words similar to “Except
Sunday” or “Except Sundays and Holidays” and the day is a Sunday or a holiday.
(c) Subsection (a) of this Section shall not require an operator of a vehicle to
deposit payment in a parking meter if the vehicle is lawfully displaying one of the following
decals, placards or plates issued by the California Department of Motor Vehicles:
(1) A current and valid Clean Air Vehicle (CAV) decal; or
(2) A Neighborhood Electric Vehicle (NEV) decal issued prior to
2011; or
(3) A Green CAV decal issued prior to 2019; or
(4) A White CAV decal issued prior to 2019; or
(5) A Red CAV decal issued prior to 2022; or
(6) A Purple CAV decal issued prior to 2023; or
(7) Any special recognition plate.
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The exemptions for zero-emission vehicle decals set forth in subsections (c)(2), (c)(3),
(c)(4), and (c)(5) above shall automatically expire on September 30, 2025.
SECTION 2. Any provision of the Municipal Code or appendices thereto
inconsistent with the provisions of this Ordinance, to the extent of such inconsistencies
and no further, is hereby repealed or modified to that extent necessary to effectuate the
provisions of this Ordinance.
SECTION 3. If any section, subsection, sentence, clause or phrase of this
Ordinance is for any reason held to be invalid or unconstitutional by a decision of any
court of competent jurisdiction, such decision shall not affect the validity of the
remaining portions of this Ordinance. The City Council hereby declares that it would
have passed this Ordinance and each and every section, subsection, sentence, clause,
or phrase not declared invalid or unconstitutional without regard to whether any portion
of the Ordinance would be subsequently declared invalid or unconstitutional.
SECTION 4. The Mayor shall sign and the City Clerk shall attest to the passage
of this Ordinance. The City Clerk shall cause the same to be published once in the
official newspaper within 15 days after its adoption. This Ordinance shall become
effective 30 days from its adoption.
APPROVED AS TO FORM:
LANE DILG
CITY ATTORNEY
Approved and adopted this 26th day of February, 2019.
Gleam Davis
G_le_a_m_Da_v_is_(Fe_b_28_, 2_0_19_)
Gleam Davis, Mayor
State of California )
County of Los Angeles ) ss.
City of Santa Monica )
I, Denise Anderson-Warren, City Clerk of the City of Santa Monica, do
hereby certify that the foregoing Ordinance No. 2603 (CCS) had its introduction
on February 12, 2019, and was adopted at the Santa Monica City Council
meeting held on February 26, 2019, by the following vote:
AYES: Councilmembers Morena, McKeown, Winterer, Jara,
Mayor Pro Tem O’Day, Mayor Davis
NOES: None
ABSTAIN: Councilmember Himmelrich
ABSENT: None
ATTEST:
_F_e b 28_, 2_0 19_
Denise Anderson-Warren, City Clerk Date
A summary of Ordinance No. 2603 (CCS) was duly published pursuant to
California Government Code Section 40806.