Santa Barbara council adopts oversized-vehicle parking rules and approves construction contract; council told water fund pays costs

The Santa Barbara City Council on May 19 adopted an ordinance tightening enforcement procedures for oversized vehicle parking and approved construction contracts for the Cater Water Treatment Plant Reservoir Resiliency Project, actions the council treated as pulled consent items before the start of general public comment.

The council adopted the ordinance amending Santa Barbara Municipal Code section 10.44.220 after a brief public comment and questions about whether short-term on-street allowances (for example, a two-hour loading window) would be permitted. At the meeting resident Molly Pearson said the ordinance as written prohibits temporarily parking large private recreational vehicles even for short loading or errands and asked the council to consider limited exceptions. The city attorney replied the ordinance has been in place for roughly nine years and that while limited special permits for several days are available in some circumstances, the city eliminated routine short-term exceptions because of enforcement challenges for police and equal-treatment concerns. The ordinance passed on roll call by unanimous vote.