Parking Enforcement Reduced in L.A., Intact in New York City

"In an effort to help residents stuck at home during the coronavirus pandemic, Los Angeles will temporarily stop ticketing cars during street sweeping and relax its enforcement of some other parking rules, Mayor Eric Garcetti said Monday," reports Laura J. Nelson.

The moratorium on street sweeping tickets will stay in place for at least two weeks.

In New York City, Mayor Bill de Blasio is making the case that the city's "alternate side parking" policy for street sweeping is a necessity of public health. A Politico article by Erin Durkin, Danielle Muoio, and Joe Anuta allows Mayor de Blasio to explain the rationale to continue enforcing alternate side parking:

“It's a pain in the butt. We all understand that, but it's there for a reason. It's because that is what allows the street sweepers to keep our neighborhoods clean,” he said on PIX 11 Morning News. “I am worried about a city in the middle of an epidemic that gets less and less clean. That's not good public health practice.”

Critics of the plan say avoiding an alternate side parking ticket requires residents to leave the home at a time when the city is asking everyone to stay home unless absolutely necessary.

The Politico article also mentions the revenue from parking tickets in a time of expected fiscal belt tightening at the city as tax revenues plummet while the public stays home.