By Annette Semerdjian
The decision by the Pasadena City Council to immobilize vehicles by adding a boot to the wheel could take full effect as soon as October of this year. The council made the decision on April 18 to add a boot to cars whose owners have five or more unpaid parking citations.
The city attorney must draft an ordinance within the next 60 days to change the Pasadena Municipal Code about the consequence of booting cars with multiple unanswered citations instead of towing them.
The Parking Division of the Pasadena Department of Transportation brought the amendment to the council Monday, April 18 in order to switch to a more efficient way of addressing the consequences of five or more past due citations.
“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,” it wrote in the agenda report released the day of the council meeting. “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.”
Although the city will continue to tow vehicles in other cases, such as those parked in tow-away zones or blocked driveways, the department of transportation felt it unnecessary to apply the same consequence to vehicle owners with overdue parking tickets.
Yet, the instructions of removal for the placed boots would not be addressed until a clear system is put in place for the booting program. Therefore, there was no say thus far on the hassle for vehicle owners in removing the boot, just that the impounding system would be more hassle.
The agenda report also stated that the cost of the booting program “may result in a higher overall rate of collections for overdue citations that would benefit the city’s General Fund.” Thus, even with the news that those who are prone to overdue parking citations strictly enforced in the City of Pasadena would have a less time- consuming option for losing their vehicle, the hike in citation fees could make the deal less appealing. Also, if the owner of the booted car cannot pay the removal fee and citation fines on time, the vehicle may be impounded anyways, or fined further, if parked on a street with parking limitations while immobilized.
The boot fee has gone up yearly and is about $154 now, although with the new program being put in place for October of 2016, the fee could be even more than that, as could parking citation fees.
The change in means of vehicle immobilization by the city may be a more time-efficient system, but it may also not be something to rejoice about for the car owners of Pasadena. Whether the choice by the city council is truly one that benefits Pasadena or not, it is up to the local drivers facing these consequences to decide.
