Committee approves LADOT meter and fee changes; department outlines fine optimization and PPD review

The Los Angeles City Council Transportation Committee approved LADOT’s recommendations Sept. 10 to implement revised parking meter zone rates and parking facility fees and to pursue changes to parking citation fines after staff presentations and committee questioning.

LADOT staff said on-street meter rates and off-street facility rates had not been broadly updated in years and recommended changes designed to keep pace with inflation, improve curb turnover, and align rates with market conditions. “Parking rates in the city's parking zones have not increased since 02/2014,” Jose, senior transportation engineer in the Park and Meters division, told the committee.

Why it matters: The department said updated rates and a fine-optimization study are intended to improve parking turnover, support business access, and increase citation-payment compliance while mitigating disproportionate impacts on low-income motorists.

Key details from the meeting - Meter and facility rate changes: LADOT said it increased base parking rates at 54 nonoperated parking facilities by 50% and standardized rates at 28 operated facilities. Conversion of 28 free parking lots to paid lots is expected to be completed by year end at a rate of $0.50 per hour; LADOT said conversions will require field investigations, signage and equipment installation. On-street meter rate changes are being implemented in phases for about 35,000 metered spaces with completion expected in October 2025; the ordinance reflecting a $0.50-per-hour on-street increase was described as effective Aug. 11, 2025. - Fine optimization study: LADOT’s citation-processing contractor analyzed citation collection rates, demographic distributions and relationships between fine amounts and payment rates. Desiree Gazzetta of Parking Operations said the study found opportunities both to lower fines for some quality-of-life violations that disproportionately affect disadvantaged motorists (with a projected increase in collection rates) and to increase fines in other categories tied to safety or congestion. The department highlighted one concrete change in the draft study: increasing commercial loading-zone fines from $58 to $70. - Programs for low-income motorists: LADOT described multiple payment plans, community-service options for unhoused individuals and other programs intended to support low-income motorists. The department said Los Angeles provides more payment support than other major cities surveyed. - Backlog and staffing: LADOT reported an increasing backlog in citation processing — up from a few thousand in prior years to more than 20,000 citations now — and said additional staffing will be needed to process citations, handle hearings and adjudicate cases if enforcement expands (for example, with automated camera programs or expanded bus lane enforcement). - Preferential Parking Districts and equity concerns: The department is working with the budget team to capture all PPD-related expenses and aims to return a PPD permit-fee report to the City Clerk by late October. Several council members raised concerns about low-income public-housing developments (for example, William Mead in one district) that could be disproportionately affected; LADOT said fee proposals are designed to be revenue neutral and that staff will consider protections or adjustments where appropriate. - Sunday enforcement and corridors: LADOT asked for authority to extend meter hours and charge for parking on Sundays in some high-demand districts (e.g., Venice, Hollywood, Downtown). Committee members requested a return report identifying specific corridors and field findings; LADOT said field investigations and work orders would follow and that corridor-specific recommendations would take time to develop.

Questions and follow-ups Committee members asked why uncollected citation revenue rose by more than 20% between fiscal years; LADOT attributed the trend primarily to reduced ability to tow or boot vehicles following court decisions and changes to enforcement approaches. The City Administrative Officer (Andrew Nuri) said the CAO had not yet completed an in-depth economic impact analysis and noted the item was part of budget direction to evaluate possible fine increases to supplement the general fund.

Formal actions - Item 10 (overview of parking fines and fees): Held in committee for further consideration. - Item 11 (parking citation fine study and increases): Committee approved LADOT’s recommendations to pursue a combination of fine decreases and increases as identified in the optimization study and to continue county comparisons for Vehicle Code compliance (action recorded in committee discussion). - Item 12 (revised fee schedule for parking meter zones, facilities and PPD fees): Committee approved LADOT’s recommendations; roll call recorded affirmative votes from Council Member Lambeth, Councilwoman Heather Hutt and Council Member Park.

Next steps LADOT will complete its county comparisons for citation fines, return a PPD permit-fee report by late October, undertake corridor-level field work for any proposed Sunday charging expansions, and work with the budget team to identify staffing needs to reduce the citation-processing backlog.