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Santa Barbara council advances stricter enforcement for oversized vehicle parking with one-warning rule
Summary
Council approved a change to the city’s oversized-vehicle parking rules to reduce the number of warnings given before citation and emphasized continued outreach to vehicular-park residents through the New Beginnings program.
The Santa Barbara City Council voted on May 12 to move forward with an amendment to the city’s oversized-vehicle parking ordinance that reduces the post-engagement warning process to a single notice before citation. The change was introduced from the consent calendar after staff explained enforcement procedures and outreach supports.
City Attorney Doris and senior assistant Barbara Anderson told council the amendment is limited in scope and keeps existing prohibitions — an oversized vehicle remains unlawful if it exceeds 25 feet in length, 80 inches in width or 82 inches in height — but shortens the warning regime that previously allowed multiple notices and small relocations. Anderson said officers will continue to provide an informational brochure in English and Spanish about the New Beginnings safe-parking program and to record warnings by license plate so repeat instances can be cited.
"It has been and will continue to be unlawful to park an oversized vehicle on the streets of the city of Santa Barbara," Anderson said while explaining the change and the connections to outreach and enrollment in supportive programs. The council discussion emphasized that enforcement is intended to encourage program enrollment rather than simply relocate vehicles.
Council Member Santa Maria said callers had raised safety concerns about congested blocks and locations such as the Quarantina underpass; staff said a recent county–city Encampment Resolution Fund has provided roughly $7.9 million countywide for vehicular homelessness work and that New Beginnings had enrolled many participants — staff reported that 56% of vehicles reported in the point-in-time count in the city had been eliminated through program enrollment.
The ordinance introduction was approved as part of the consent items that were handled separately; the council approved the staff recommendation on item four by voice vote. No immediate fines beyond the existing citation process were added by the amendment; staff said citations and subsequent fines will apply to repeat or noncompliant cases after the single warning.
Council and staff also reiterated that neighborhood cleanup and code enforcement work will continue alongside outreach, and that the city will prioritize reported hotspots for illegal dumping and bulky waste removal.
The ordinance amendment was introduced by staff and accepted by the council; the city will return follow-up implementation details to the council through normal staff channels.
