{"id":30223,"date":"2025-10-30T13:50:09","date_gmt":"2025-10-30T13:50:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/30223\/"},"modified":"2025-10-30T13:50:09","modified_gmt":"2025-10-30T13:50:09","slug":"californians-fume-about-the-lack-of-cheap-accessible-parking","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/30223\/","title":{"rendered":"Californians fume about the lack of cheap, accessible parking"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

A giant heap of mail from Essential Californians suggests that not even our noxious politics or stubborn inflation set readers into a dither quite like the consternation you suffer when you\u2019re ready to get out of your cars.<\/p>\n

Because you have to park. And you either can\u2019t find parking. Or find it far too expensive. Or you got bamboozled by four competing street parking signs. Or you couldn\u2019t leave your space because that dunderhead in the Tesla decided to park within a hair\u2019s breadth of your rear bumper.<\/p>\n

You’re reading the Essential California newsletter <\/p>\n

Grrrrrrrr. Today\u2019s Essential California plumbs the vast shallows of your peeves about parking. And doubtless invites more complaints. Which we can dive into another day, if need be.<\/p>\n

The thing about parking in California is that, by definition, we\u2019re all doing it while running 15 minutes late, after getting caught up in a SigAlert or an inexplicable Caltrans rush-hour lane beautification. We come to the hunt for an open space already frazzled.<\/p>\n

The five worst parking offenses<\/p>\n

If it\u2019s street parking we need, too often we find that the space that clearly has Our Name On It has been rendered useless because some bozo chose to park their Range Rover in the middle of TWO spaces. They did this to protect their precious vehicle\u2019s paint job. Or to save a space for their lover. Or because they parked without giving a thought to the rest of humankind. AKA, they\u2019re human, but they\u2019ve also ruined everything and now we are left to circle.<\/p>\n

Reader Denise Wasko Pe\u00f1a denounced the \u201cidiots\u201d who create these \u201cdead spaces\u201d and admonished: \u201cIt doesn\u2019t take much\u201d to park correctly, \u201cjust a little spatial awareness.\u201d Seconded, Ms. Pe\u00f1a, by me and many other readers.<\/p>\n

Others complained about those vexing parking signs. You know the ones: stacked three or four high, each with various days\/hours\/conditions in which parking isn\u2019t allowed. Wrote Judy Lan: \u201cYou miss one detail, you get the ticket right away!\u201d <\/p>\n

And what about those with the misfortune of living near a hot club or bistro? Valet parking companies \u201ctook local street parking, that we paid for with our taxes, and turned it into paid restaurant parking,\u201d complained Michael Antonopolis..<\/p>\n

Parking lots solve all these problems, with their clear rules and order, right? Oh heck no! <\/p>\n

Readers have myriad complaints about both surface lots and garages. Among them: Lots that have waaay too many \u201ccompact\u201d spaces, when it seems everyone drives a big, fat SUV. Also aggravating is when said Fat SUVs, or even Mini Coopers, defy the clearly marked boundaries and occupy two spaces.<\/p>\n

Then there are those handy parking apps that make it sooooo easy to pay for your space. I\u2019ve got four of those parking apps on my phone. Yet it seems each city or private parking lot asks that we sign up the app we don\u2019t have. Thanks so much!<\/p>\n

Inner peace through public transit?<\/p>\n

Another solution to all this festering discontent? Higher-minded readers suggested that the fault lies not in our parking, but in ourselves. They urged more Californians to leave their sacred automobiles in favor of public transportation.<\/p>\n

Julia Kovisars called for \u201cmandatory, universal pricing\u201d for parking on public streets, to reduce the use of private vehicles and encourage public transit. A woman named Angelia seemed to agree, though she admonished government officials to make communal transportation more ubiquitous and affordable. Said Angelia: \u201cLack of safe, reliable public transportation and affordable rent close to living-wage jobs seem like the actual obstacles.\u201d<\/p>\n

What did I miss? Email more of your parking complaints to essentialcalifornia@latimes.com<\/a>. <\/p>\n

Today\u2019s top stories \"Los <\/p>\n

Dodgers first baseman Freddie Freeman walks back to the dugout after striking out in the seventh inning of a 6-1 loss to the Toronto Blue Jays in Game 5 of the World Series on Wednesday night in the final game of the season at Dodger Stadium.<\/p>\n

(Eric Thayer\/Los Angeles Times)<\/p>\n

The Blue Jays beat the Dodgers (again)Massive layoffs at ParamountA judge rules Trump\u2019s top federal prosecutor in L.A. is \u2018unlawfully serving\u2019It\u2019s the latest rebuke of the Trump administration\u2019s unusual maneuvers<\/a> to keep political allies in power as chief federal prosecutors across the country.The Trump administration has circumvented the Senate confirmation process to install Essayli and other loyalists as top federal prosecutors without them having to face a vote.Although the ruling disqualifies Essayli from continuing in the role of \u201cacting\u201d U.S. attorney, the judge said he can remain in charge of the office under another title.What else is going onCommentary and opinionsThis morning\u2019s must readOther must readsFor your downtime \"Treebones <\/a> <\/p>\n

Treebones Resort just off Highway 1 in the South Coast area of Big Sur.<\/p>\n

(Christopher Reynolds \/ Los Angeles Times)<\/p>\n

Going outStaying inA question for you: What are your go-to easy Halloween costumes?<\/p>\n

Sue writes: \u201cAs a lifelong Democrat, I used to wear a \u2018Nixon\u2019s The One\u2019 button and go as a Republican. Trouble was, no one got the joke if they didn\u2019t know me!\u201d<\/p>\n

Pam writes: \u201cFor the last costume party my husband and I attended, I went as a \u2018famous author,\u2019 carrying a hardback book covered with a dust jacket I\u2019d created for the occasion \u2014 complete with my name on the front and fictionalized bio and blurbs from critics and authors on the back. My husband went as a \u2018serial killer,\u2019 because they \u2018look like everyone else.\u2019 He gave a bit of a nod to Dexter, wearing cargo pants, a waffle knit Henley, knitted cap, gloves, and carrying a small canvas tool bag.\u201d<\/p>\n

Email us at essentialcalifornia@latimes.com<\/a>, and your response might appear in the newsletter this week.<\/p>\n

And finally … from our archives \"Boxing <\/p>\n

Boxing greats Muhammad Ali, left, and George Foreman arrive at a Vanity Fair Oscar party in West Hollywood on March 24, 1997.<\/p>\n

(E.J. Flynn \/ Associated Press)<\/p>\n

On Oct. 30, 1974, Muhammad Ali knocked out George Foreman in the \u201cRumble in the Jungle,\u201d regaining the world heavyweight boxing title.<\/p>\n

For the fight\u2019s 40th anniversary in 2014, former Times sports writer and editor Bill Dwyre wrote about the rumble and the two boxing giants<\/a> who were at the center of the sporting universe.<\/p>\n

Have a great day, from the Essential California team<\/p>\n

Jim Rainey, staff reporter
Hugo Mart\u00edn, assistant editor, fast break desk
Kevinisha Walker, multiplatform editor
Andrew Campa, Sunday writer
Karim Doumar, head of newsletters<\/p>\n

How can we make this newsletter more useful? Send comments to essentialcalifornia@latimes.com<\/a>. Check our top stories<\/a>, topics<\/a> and the latest articles<\/a> on latimes.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"A giant heap of mail from Essential Californians suggests that not even our noxious politics or stubborn inflation…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":30224,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[27],"tags":[7,2299,1085,891,2300,2297,340,2303,48,52,51,47,50,49,63,2302,1086,1459,2301,2298,74,225,315,688],"class_list":{"0":"post-30223","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-los-angeles","8":"tag-california","9":"tag-civic-revolt","10":"tag-covid","11":"tag-covid-19","12":"tag-days","13":"tag-essential-california","14":"tag-israel","15":"tag-l-a","16":"tag-la","17":"tag-la-headlines","18":"tag-la-news","19":"tag-los-angeles","20":"tag-los-angeles-headlines","21":"tag-los-angeles-news","22":"tag-los-angeles-times","23":"tag-may","24":"tag-pandemic","25":"tag-part","26":"tag-president-biden","27":"tag-red-county","28":"tag-san-diego","29":"tag-state","30":"tag-time","31":"tag-years"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30223","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=30223"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30223\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/30224"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=30223"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=30223"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=30223"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}