City Contemplates “Booting” of Cars Whose Owners Have Unpaid Parking Tickets, Measure Could Go to Full Council in a Week’s Time

[EDITOR’S NOTE: The headline of this article originally was incorrect. The clamping is only contemplated for cars whose owners have numerous unpaid parking tickets. The article makes that clear. We apologize for the error.]

Pasadena car owners and motorists could soon discover their vehicles immobilized — “booted”  —  when they have past due parking citations if a proposal going before a City committee Tuesday is approved.

The City Council’s Municipal Services Committee will discuss the proposal Tuesday at its regular meeting.

If the Committee approves the plan, the measure likely will be heard by the full City Council on April 18.

The Transportation Department proposal comes as a suggested amendment to Pasadena Municipal Code Section 10.40.030 and would allow for immobilizing vehicles with clamps instead of towing them when they have five or more past due citations with the City.

“Vehicle immobilization, commonly referred to a ‘booting,’ is a less impactful method of ensuring that overdue parking fines are paid to the City,” the Transportation Department said in a report. “The process for towing a vehicle and for recovering a towed and impounded vehicle once the parking fines have been paid is time-consuming. The booting approach would reduce the time and activities needed to immobilize a vehicle and for a vehicle owner to recover the use of the vehicle impounded for non-payment of parking citations.

The Department also said a booting program “would allow us to provide a better customer service to our citizens.”

“Instead of having to travel to the impound yards that are all outside of Pasadena, a booting program would allow drivers to pay the boot fee and their past due citations and have the boot removed without having to leave the City,” said the Department’s report.

Based on the department’s records, City parking enforcement staff impounded 183 vehicles that had five or more delinquent parking citations. In prior years, enforcement staff impounded an average of 400 vehicles per year. The Department said if the booting program is approved, it is estimated to affect approximately 200 vehicles annually.

The Transportation Department explained the capital cost of booting equipment – about $1,500 per boot – and staff labor cost to install or recover the boots would all be recoverable because the city would charge a Boot Fee at the same time as the parking violation citation fee.

Transportation Director Frederick Dock is expected to clarify with the Municipal Services Committee Tuesday how the proposal would affect Pasadena residents.

The City Council could then deliberate on the proposal at the next regular meeting Monday, April 18, 2016.