Hermosa Beach City Council authorized a limited complimentary holiday parking program after staff presented transaction data and neighboring-city practices.

Staff presented meter transaction data showing seasonal patterns and estimated opportunity costs from previous years. After hearing public testimony from local businesses and residents, council members debated whether to maintain the city’s historic four-week free-parking period, shorten it to two weeks, or adopt another interval.

The council approved a three-week complimentary parking window and asked staff to work with the chamber and stakeholders to identify the best three-week block; staff will return with the final dates as an informational item at the next council meeting. The motion passed with Mayor Pro Tem DeToy and Council member Francois voting no.

Supporters told the council free holiday parking brings shoppers to downtown and helps small businesses that depend heavily on holiday sales. Opponents raised concern about the direct loss of meter revenue and urged better data collection before committing to multiyear programs.

Fiscal note: Staff estimated the city foregoes roughly $192,000–$255,000 in meter revenue for a four-week program based on recent transaction patterns; a three-week window reduces that exposure but still represents a meaningful revenue change.

Next steps: Staff will coordinate with the Chamber of Commerce and present the selected three-week block as an informational item at the next meeting and will collect better data for future decisions.