Residents in Midtown and downtown Sacramento say limited parking is already a daily challenge, and now delays in the city’s residential parking permit system are making it worse.People waiting for permit renewals say they are still finding tickets on their windshields while their applications remain pending. The City of Sacramento acknowledged it is dealing with a backlog and says it is hosting an in-person clinic on Friday to help residents with application issues. But some residents say the clinic’s timing does not work for people with weekday jobs.”A lot of us don’t have access to garages or driveways,” said Karl Phillips, a Midtown resident.Ikea Clark, another Midtown resident, said parking has become more difficult as more people move into the central city. “As more people move down to the side of the grid, it’s making it harder,” Clark said.Residents said the permit delays are adding another layer of uncertainty, because they risk being cited while waiting for the city to process their paperwork.Doug Link, a Midtown resident, said he believes “the city is taking advantage of the downtown residents right now.”In a statement, the City of Sacramento said, “We are currently experiencing a high volume of residential parking permit applications, which has contributed to longer processing times.”The city added, “We understand this can be frustrating for residents, and we appreciate the community’s patience as we work through the increased demand.”Clark said the process has dragged on, making her frustrated. “It’s been a process that I’ve been waiting for, especially because I’ve had to switch over cars,” she said.She said the delays have already cost her money. “Let’s talk about upwards of $60 to $80 with taxes on them,” Clark said. “And that’s an increase from the last couple of years. So it’s definitely hitting the pockets.”The city said parking enforcement officers cannot see the status of individual permit renewals while in the field.“Parking enforcement officers do not have visibility into the status of individual permit renewals in the field, so vehicles displaying expired permits may still be subject to citation,” the city said in its statement. “However, residents who are actively in the renewal process and receive a citation can contest it.”Some residents said the city should temporarily extend current permits until the backlog is resolved.“The problem is they could easily extend the validity of our current passes and, you know, extend that for a month, two months or whatever the time they need in order to make up the backlog,” Phillips said.Link said the city should take more responsibility for the consequences of the delay. “I think the city needs to take some accountability for that and maybe pay some of the bill on that and not push it off on the people that are living down here and spending the money down here,” Link said.To address the issue, the city said it will host a permit assistance clinic on Friday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. to help residents complete applications and get in-person support.But some residents questioned whether those hours are practical.“You mean when everybody is going to be at work?” said Anthony Giannotti, a Midtown resident.Phillips said a weekend option would make more sense. “It could be on a Saturday or something where typically more people are off,” he said. “And it just seems odd that that was their choosing.”The city said staff members are processing applications as quickly as possible and that online applications will be handled in the order they were received.See more coverage of top California stories here | Download our app | Subscribe to our morning newsletter | Find us on YouTube here and subscribe to our channel

SACRAMENTO, Calif. —

Residents in Midtown and downtown Sacramento say limited parking is already a daily challenge, and now delays in the city’s residential parking permit system are making it worse.

People waiting for permit renewals say they are still finding tickets on their windshields while their applications remain pending.

The City of Sacramento acknowledged it is dealing with a backlog and says it is hosting an in-person clinic on Friday to help residents with application issues. But some residents say the clinic’s timing does not work for people with weekday jobs.

“A lot of us don’t have access to garages or driveways,” said Karl Phillips, a Midtown resident.

Ikea Clark, another Midtown resident, said parking has become more difficult as more people move into the central city.

“As more people move down to the side of the grid, it’s making it harder,” Clark said.

Residents said the permit delays are adding another layer of uncertainty, because they risk being cited while waiting for the city to process their paperwork.

Doug Link, a Midtown resident, said he believes “the city is taking advantage of the downtown residents right now.”

In a statement, the City of Sacramento said, “We are currently experiencing a high volume of residential parking permit applications, which has contributed to longer processing times.”

The city added, “We understand this can be frustrating for residents, and we appreciate the community’s patience as we work through the increased demand.”

Clark said the process has dragged on, making her frustrated.

“It’s been a process that I’ve been waiting for, especially because I’ve had to switch over cars,” she said.

She said the delays have already cost her money. “Let’s talk about upwards of $60 to $80 with taxes on them,” Clark said. “And that’s an increase from the last couple of years. So it’s definitely hitting the pockets.”

The city said parking enforcement officers cannot see the status of individual permit renewals while in the field.

“Parking enforcement officers do not have visibility into the status of individual permit renewals in the field, so vehicles displaying expired permits may still be subject to citation,” the city said in its statement. “However, residents who are actively in the renewal process and receive a citation can contest it.”

Some residents said the city should temporarily extend current permits until the backlog is resolved.

“The problem is they could easily extend the validity of our current passes and, you know, extend that for a month, two months or whatever the time they need in order to make up the backlog,” Phillips said.

Link said the city should take more responsibility for the consequences of the delay. “I think the city needs to take some accountability for that and maybe pay some of the bill on that and not push it off on the people that are living down here and spending the money down here,” Link said.

To address the issue, the city said it will host a permit assistance clinic on Friday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. to help residents complete applications and get in-person support.

But some residents questioned whether those hours are practical.

“You mean when everybody is going to be at work?” said Anthony Giannotti, a Midtown resident.

Phillips said a weekend option would make more sense. “It could be on a Saturday or something where typically more people are off,” he said. “And it just seems odd that that was their choosing.”

The city said staff members are processing applications as quickly as possible and that online applications will be handled in the order they were received.

See more coverage of top California stories here | Download our app | Subscribe to our morning newsletter | Find us on YouTube here and subscribe to our channel