TOML OPTS FOR STINGIER ZONE DEFENSE

The Mammoth Lakes Town Council sealed the deal this week on policies cracking down on parking laws and fines for residents and visitors alike… except for those living out of their vehicles.

In a series of votes at Wednesday’s meeting, the Council hiked the costs of parking citations and limited street parking. At the same time, it advanced a temporary overnight parking program to support residents sleeping in their cars through the winter. 

On the enforcement side, the Council adopted a resolution creating a designated “Resort Parking Zone” covering high-violation areas in North Village, Canyon Lodge, and Eagle Lodge. 

Within that zone, standard parking citations jumped to $350. The Council also approved a $525 citation for impeding traffic flow townwide and a $1,000 penalty for ADA violations, effective as soon as the Public Works department can post signs.

The changes follow a 2023 increase from $45 to $110, which staff said failed to deter illegal parking.

The item was initially posed as a $500 fee ($750 for impeding traffic), but councilmember John Wentworth proposed dropping the fee to give “headroom” in case the Council needed it more. His timeline was also more lenient than the proposed item, which offered enforcement of the fees on March 1.

Public Works Director Haislip Hayes says it will take at least a couple of weeks to get the signs posted, likely more depending on the snow levels. 

Council member Chris Bubser was vehemently opposed to Wentworth’s advocacy for both the price drop and the loose timeline, while Mayor Amanda Rice was more lukewarm in her distaste for the adjustments, but both provided dissenting votes. 

“I think that we’re not doing our duty to the community if we don’t implement this as quickly as possible,” Bubser opined.

But council members Brent Truax, Bill Sauser, and Wentworth all voted yes, giving the motion a majority and allowing it to pass. The three yaysayers liked that fees would not increase until the signs said so.

“I have a concern about enforcing new rates that are as high as what we’re talking about here without having the signs to say what that rate would be,” Sauser said.

A second item on the agenda verified that clearer signage will accompany the new restrictions, along with updated fine information. 

But quietly nestled within the item’s language, staff included that parking would be removed on one side of Rainbow Lane and Lakeview Boulevard, near Canyon Lodge, to improve emergency vehicle access and accommodate snow storage. 

Mammoth Mountain CEO Eric Clark took issue with this, saying his studies show that over half of the resort’s visitors want to park at Canyon Lodge and that the reduction would do those people an injustice.  He estimated the total loss would be about 62 spaces.

“That’s not giving our people what they want,” he said. “In addition, I didn’t see any mediation for that. Where are those 62 spaces gonna go?” 

Which is funny because the first time the council considered hiking the fees, on Feb. 4, some council members worried that harping on the parking issue in the resort zone would just spread throughout town, especially without more parking resources available. At the last meeting, they decided it not necessary to immediately create more parking, as the bus system is available (see p.19 for the reality on that).

This time, Wentworth waved away these concerns with a plea of public safety. 

“It had to do with fire, it had to do with transit getting through. It was an emergency situation. I think the rationale for moving forward is specifically tied to public safety,” Wentworth said.

The other council members supported Wentworth’s reasoning, and the item was approved unanimously.

Then, after all this fuss and fury over cutting down on parking, the Council carved out an exception for members of the public living in their vehicles.

Declaring an urgent winter need, the Council unanimously authorized staff to establish a temporary 90-day overnight parking program, either through an agreement with a private property owner or, if they can’t find one, on Town-owned land. 

Under the new policy, participants will be required to verify local employment, undergo background screening, sign liability waivers, and comply with program rules in exchange for access to a safe, legal overnight site. The Town anticipates subsidizing operational costs, including snow removal, trash service, restrooms, and security.

Dawn Vereuck, owner of Mountain Living Interiors & Design, said she has people sleeping in her parking lot “overnight constantly” and was worried about the access these individuals might have to showers and restrooms if they are permitted to do so.

“I think it’s important to set this up and have people able to sleep in their vans and cars safely, but at the same time, we need to address the issue of hygiene.”

To this, Rice clarified that “getting the placard doesn’t allow you to just park anywhere overnight,” and explained that the police department will continue to cite people who park on properties that don’t allow overnight visitors or who don’t have the placard.

Rob Patterson said there might be opportunities for the Town to put porta-potties “in more remote locations,” but that showers will likely not be available.