Hermosa Beach 025 residents and business owners packed council chambers and logged into Zoom Oct. 28 to press the City Council about parking policy changes including proof-of-residency requirements, the fate of the citys holiday free-parking weeks and rules for extra household permits.

City staff presented recommended options and new data for the 20256 permit season, noting that the city sold about 6,131 permits this year after a new verification process was implemented and that the previous, revenue-share model for permit processing previously produced about $127,000 a year in vendor fees. Revenue services supervisor Paul Avila told the council that applicants had been required to provide a California drivers license and vehicle registration bearing the Hermosa Beach address, and that the DMVs masking of address details in online records had made the requirement onerous for renters and recent movers.

The most consequential votes followed more than three hours of public comment by residents, employees and business owners. Councilmembers voted to:
- Change proof-of-residency rules to accept alternative documentation when a valid California drivers license is not available, such as a signed lease or utility bill for new residents; the motion passed on council vote. The change is intended to make permits accessible to renters, new move-ins and part-time residents who lack a current drivers license showing a Hermosa address.
- Allow replacement guest permits when proof of new tenancy is provided (signed lease or a qualifying utility bill), rather than continuing a strict no-replacement rule; council approved this approach.
- Maintain the current prohibition on owner-only guest permits (permits issued to nonresident property owners), rejecting calls from some landlords for owner-specific privileges.
- Maintain the citys elimination of large-scale event permits but expand the existing daily parking-pass window so occasional visitors can purchase an all-day pass between 10 a.m. and 10 p.m. Council adopted that change and set a higher price window to be addressed administratively.

Council deferred a final resolution on the fourth-permit rule (an option that would allow some households more than the standard three permits) and directed staff to return with a focused study. That study will examine the number of pedestrians and school crossings between Second Street and Pier Avenue; evaluate signage and funneling options to direct pedestrians to existing safe crossings; and include on-site counts and input from the Hermosa Beach Unified School District and local parent groups. Council also asked staff to report back on employer-managed employee permits, enforcement on altered documents and options for limiting oversized vehicles and RV parking in the impacted zone.

Multiple residents and business owners said the permit rules implemented in 2023 had harmed local merchants and coastal households. Michelle Crispin, president of the Hermosa Beach Chamber of Commerce, told the council the Chamber supports the restoration of a four-week holiday free-parking program to help downtown businesses during December sales peaks. Brad Scott, a coastal-zone resident of nearly 30 years, told the council the system has placed an unfair burden on local families and called for a return to a simpler approach that allows household registration of multiple vehicles.

At the hearing, council members emphasized conflicting priorities: preserving visitor access under the citys certified coastal plan while reducing fraud and ensuring residents with demonstrated need can park near home. Councilmembers directed staff to return with more precise counts and options for employer-managed permits, a pilot plan for day-pass timing changes and a report on enforcement and the two-year ban on altered documentation.

Notes: The council accepted staffs recommendation to open a policy window for alternative proofs of residency and for replacement guest permits for new tenants. Further significant changesincluding a definitive fourth-permit policy and employer-managed program detailswere deferred for additional staff study and follow-up reports to council.