The parking kiosks are another nail in the coffin for Downtown Chico. The city held a meeting with Downtown business owners the other day, even invited customers. Not only are people disgruntled, one attendee got a parking ticket during the meeting, even after he’d paid for his parking space.
Here’s something that was mentioned at the meeting that is not mentioned anywhere on the city website – if you use your credit card for these machines, you pay a credit card fee every time you park or add time to your meter. Wow. I remember when ATM’s came out, they were great! My husband used his card to buy lunch almost daily – the first month, he racked up over $30 in fees – at that time, that was about six lunches. That was the end of our ATM days. That’s one reason we are really careful how we use our debit and credit cards as well.
Thing is, if you want to use coin, aside from having a bag of coins stashed in your car, you need to drive to the kiosk, find “available parking”, get out of your car and feed the machine. Then you drive back to your space – what, and hope nobody took it? What?
Here’s something that was not mentioned at the recent meeting, but has been discussed in those day meetings – the meter has your app, and from that point on, it tracks your phone. You know you can be tracked with your phone right? You get those creepy reports from Google telling you where you’ve been the last 30 days? Former City Ass Mangler Chris Constantin reported that staff was using cell phones to track people during COVID, driving out to wherever they spotted “congregations” so they could threaten those businesses with sanctions.
Well, now the city is using your phone to watch your shopping habits. They want to know certain details, such as how far you have to walk to spend money after you park your car, they discussed that. They call it “marketing research“, I call it, “Big Brother is watching you…” And now Big Brother can send you advertising based on your shopping habits – don’t you just love those ads that slow down your mailbox? If you don’t think that’s creepy, you might want to watch Batman Forever, we have achieved Edward Nigma’s “box”.
Councilman Tom Van Overbeek has admitted as much, saying in his letter to the editor that this app will track you and make sure you are either out of that parking space or get a ticket. I wonder what they intend to do about the Downtown business owner who walked into that meeting waving a paid receipt and a parking ticket.
People have accused me at times of just complaining without offering any solutions. Various businesses offered their solutions at the meeting – most want free parking days or hours, such as free parking until 11am. They are willing to accept the kiosks, as long as there’s a way to wheedle out of it.
Here’s what my husband thinks, and I’ll agree: Downtown just shot itself in the foot again. For us it doesn’t matter – not personally – we don’t own a business there, and we haven’t patronized any business Downtown for years. But, I’ve watched one council after another pour out money for a “viable Downtown” – just throwing good money after bad. Whenever the government gets too involved in the private sector, you get problems. A viable retail sector runs itself. The city has thrown it’s dick in, and that’s where the problems are coming from. All they want out of those meters, is revenues, let’s face it. That’s what Van Overbeek seemed to be concerned with – how fast the ticketing process works. And then he blames college students – that would be funny, if it weren’t so insulting.
Van Overbeek and his cronies on council refuse to listen to the survey they ran a few years ago – people want a “clean, safe” Downtown. They meant, they don’t want bums breaking into their cars, looking over their shoulders at their ATM’s, or putting their hand on their car door to ask for a handout. They don’t want to have to lead their children down a sidewalk with filthy people sprawled out over it, or encounter human feces in front of a business entry. Use a public bathroom? Forget it. And that’s daytime. Add darkness and drunks, and Downtown becomes completely family UN-friendly at night.
Actions this council has taken very recently have just been more nails in the coffin – $1 an hour to park? Wow, there’s acres of free parking and more retail options at malls and retail centers all over town. Yeah, Raw Bar is nice, but Big Tuna and Izakaya Ichiban are just as good, less expensive, and – here’s the thing – have free parking and other retail options in the same center. And no bum tents or sprawling drunks or feces in the doorway. There are streets all over town like Nord and East that feed major retail centers, that haven’t been maintained properly for many years. But they’re putting a quarter of a million in American Rescue Money into parklets for bars Downtown?
One bail-out after another, and Downtown is still in trouble. Want to know why? While they play around with the candy toppings, they don’t provide any substance. The sewer hasn’t been maintained for 100 years. That’s what’s really going to tank Downtown – they will have to shut it down for a couple of years to tear out the streets to fix the sewer. Where will they get the money for that?
Next time, on This Old Lady…
Chico Taxpayers Association 
We should call it what it is: Parking meters are just another tax. It’s a tax on downtown customers, it’s also a tax against people who work downtown.
The City owes the downtown merchants an apology for this mess. They should acknowledge their failure by giving us free downtown parking till the end of summer. The city should tear out those silly kiosks and put the old parking meters back.
Thanks Jim – I can’t believe they expect employees to pay. A one-time incentive, and then it’s back to “sleep with your butt in the air”. And then they park in the residential neighborhoods and those people are left with no place to park.
So, I had a question for staff on another matter (the loss on the skating rink) and I received a response from staff that I had to submit a request for information. That’s Sorensen’s evil doing, and it sucks. But I was directed to the page where it shows all the other requests – I saw at least two requests for information regarding the kiosks – such as, who was the consultant who set that up and how much did they get? I’ll keep an eye on that, I’ll try to post it here.
However city employees get free parking.
Yes, they have the city lot. Of course, citizens can use the city lot if they can find a space that’s not dedicated to management, but good luck there. Good way to keep the busybodies out of the meetings?
I don’t follow city issues word for word and had no clue Chico was installing parking kiosks until complaints about the old meters not working surfaced and amazingly (literally) within days new kiosks went in. I will reserve my “thoughts” about a city council that shoots first and then asks questions or fixes anything left alive.
Now, I have to recuse myself from the parking kiosk/plate/card/tickets part of this issue as I’m “privileged” with special plates (just different tracking 😏) and I don’t/won’t shop downtown, BUT…you knew there would be one didn’t you…
I find it alarming and disheartening that council, specifically Van Overbeek accepted a program into downtown that charges a fee on credit cards. It’s not the fee I’m biffed about. It’s that he was aware that a city manager could wave that fee from the get go and he didn’t. Then when the completely obvious limitations are put on the table, Van Overbeek waives it (overnight) like he’s doing everyone a favor! I would have been completely impressed had this been rolled out with a “by the way, we waived the service fee your forced to pay on the kiosk your forced to use.” I would have been shocked, but impressed nonetheless.
I will make another point with hypothetical numbers that hopefully are close to accurate. There are (6) city blocks covered by (4) kiosks? Why was this rolled out without a representative at each kiosk to assist residents? I can even figure out several ways to staff that full time for no cost. I’m mentioning this because of the condescending comments I’ve heard over the last few days coming from council and some residents regarding those who struggled with the new system. There’s a comment out there this morning to the effect of “if they can’t figure it out, they shouldn’t even own a phone.” Come on people. That’s just mean and mean people suck!
Of all the issues facing Chico, the lack of ethics, morals and empathy concerns me the most.
And Juanita, I figured out how to get hooked to Chico sewer. I’m going to move to Paradise! 🤣
I’ll see myself out now…
First of all, I’m conflicted on your move to Paradise – I hate to lose you Becca, but Paradise needs people like you to rebuild. I’m really sad about the hospital and Holiday Market closing, and if people don’t start moving up there and rebuilding, the town will continue to collapse.
I’m with you on the kiosks, my husband reminds me constantly – we don’t go Downtown anymore, there is nothing to attract us anymore. But, we have to remember, they used taxpayer money to bring in the kiosks that should have been spent directly on the streets and sewers, OUR money. Meanwhile, they have admitted that the 100 year old sewer system Downtown is failing, and they’ll have to rip out the streets to replace whole trunk lines. I believe they will try to either raise sewer fees again or institute a special tax for that, it was not mentioned as a use for Measure H.
But here’s the issue that really pisses me off, the real reason behind the meters – revenue for the city. They have consultants looking for any way to raise revenues. And not just the parking fees, but the FINES. I looked at the budget – before COVID, they made more money off fines than parking fees. When they shut down the town for COVID, the fine revenue was cut in half. With the old meters, you had to depend on human parking attendants, who aren’t as efficient as machines. As soon as your time is up – and apparently, even before your time is up – the kiosk has presented you with a $29 ticket. And they raise the price of parking tickets without public input, so there you go.
I think Downtown parking should be free. The best point that’s been made in this conversation is that other retail areas of literally acres of free parking. Downtown merchants pay exorbitant rent, they pay a “special district” fee, that should cover free parking at least for the spaces directly in front of their building. And, I heard it in a meeting – the parking lot on Second Street was paid for before Jennifer Hennessy left her Finance Director position, it’s been paid off for years. They took the money out of the parking fund the last year Hennessy was here.
Downtown is a Shakedown. Don’t shop Downtown.
Have no fear, I’m still here. There was sarcasm with a side of irony in my response. Sorry if that wasn’t as obvious as I thought it was. It’s been hard hanging on to any sense of humor these days. I’m not moving to Paradise. Interesting that Paradise will be hooked up to Chico sewer before Chico left-outs that remain in Chico. Why? Because there is no money to be made off us outcasts. I don’t forsee EVER getting hooked up and today, that’s fine. The bill will go up and up and up and next thing you know it’ll be like the power, water and garbage bill…up and up and up and then one day you are ordered to pay 3x the amount AND your neighbors bill. It was just the shove we needed to get the solar up on the roof. So, we will pump our tank every two years, generate our own electricity, grow our own fruits and veggies and when the time comes to move, it’ll be clear out of Butte County. I’ve made Chico my home since 1988. I’ve watched this cute, hippy dippy, diverse and art infused community where people minded their own business and helped their community, grow into just another growing city filled with crime, shitty streets, businesses closing and concrete where there once was once grass. And I can’t be accused of not trying. I’ve sat on student councils, protested, attended council meetings, supported businesses, petitioned etc and nothing slows the spiral downhill. This council does whatever it wants no matter what it means to the citizens. Railroad and cram it down our throats! No, we are about done here. I’ve never experienced the level of disrespect I’m experiencing here now. I’ve been cast into the world as a disabled person and man-o-man is it EVER eye opening! Teens go in a store in front of you and let go of door, able bodies use blue parking to “just be a second” the list grows every day. That’s part of my downtown beef. Who’s counting disabled parking spots? The ONE spot outside one building one of my docs is in, if it’s available, has a huge tree uprooting the sidewalk right next to driver’s door. I have 1 leg. Navigating THAT while I get leg #2 back on is really dangerous. I guess since “my” spot generates no $, it stays a safety hazard. I’ve been watching that spot for three years now. Three years and it STILL is busted concrete. I hope someone in council reads this bitch session because if I fall it can have serious consequences for me and don’t think I’ll get back up quietly! I shouldn’t have to become a disability advocate to navigate my community. My other point on this subject is the lack of doctors here. Good luck finding a GP. I’ve had 5 GP’s leave Chico in the last 4 years. It’s to the point that I can’t get medical care. Don’t get old or become disabled in Chico because your invisible and nothing but a burden. WE are who the homeless community consists of. All those forgotten souls.
No, Chico and what it used to stand for is long gone and soon so will we.
Well, dammit, you got me! But no, I’m not laughing about the sewer connect with Paradise – I am super pissed about it. Paradise had an opportunity, with all that emergency funding, to set up their own, state-of-the-art sewer system, but they took the hook and went with Chico. And Chico ratepayers will foot the bill with the new sewer rate “adjustment”. Remember, the city is now basing sewer bills on the volume of water you get from Cal Water. So you pay for your water twice, and then any charges they want to add.
And I’m thrilled to have you sticking around Becca, and glad you’re ready to keep fighting. Yes, our city is 30+ years behind the Americans with Disabilities Act. I guess they expect you to use their website mechanism (I have not found it) to report stuff. I had a friend who worked for a disabled lawyer – when the man had his disabling accident, he decided to go on a mission, suing every business in town, as well as the city and county of Sacramento, for lack of parking spaces. He was a holy terror, my friend both loved and hated the job, but he was a force to be reckoned with. I hope you meet somebody like that, and if I find anybody, I’ll let you know. Coincidentally, my friend later lost the use of his legs and, having had such a teacher, became a holy terror himself. Chico needs a holy terror.
And yeah, I remember Marge Sadoon – here’s my favorite story. When I was a young idiot, I saw her making her way up Second St, ticketing cars on expired meters. I noticed my friend’s car – he had a business on Second, and he resented feeding the meter. I had a pocket full of change, so I fed his meter. Marge saw me and scolded me – “we need to keep the parking spaces turning over…” She was a nice lady and a super human being, but it was her job to ticket people. I believe parking Downtown should be free for two hours and paid after that – and it shouldn’t matter who is taking the space as long as they are paying. Sure, they need to keep the spaces turning over, but that’s not their real agenda – they want the money, especially the fine money. The fines have out-paced meter revenues for years, they want a system by which the meter maid doesn’t need to beat you to your car. These kiosks result in instant tickets.
Thanks Becca – and by the way – you know we’re not getting older, we’re getting meaner and tougher. We’re cougars, and I don’t mean in the sack.
Before too long the current windows of time that are offered for free parking will be a thing of the past.With conventional meters you need to be aware of the clock, with the app not so much. Just get parked and get connected via the kiosk and let the automation do it’s job; just don’t feel surprised when the expected $5 charge has turned into $10 or $15 because you had no need to watch the clock. So, why offer no cost parking after 6pm when you can gather up the $ from whose minds who’ve been lulled into parking meter-complacency and are focused on their evening out, having that second or third cocktail?
Thanks Suzanne, I agree. It’s just a revenue measure, easy pickins. I feel bad for Downtown merchants and keep wondering why they put up with it. I was at Raleys the other day and realized, again – Raleys and other “box store” merchants provide free parking, that gives them a ridiculous advantage over Downtown merchants. Furthermore, the city doesn’t own the streets, the people own the streets, what the hell. We pay taxes and the merchants pay fees and taxes to have the streets and sidewalks maintained, the parking fees are just a shakedown. I notice, there is no other metered parking, anywhere in town, as long as there’s not a “No Parking” sign you can park wherever you want. I don’t even think there’s any areas where parking permits are required, like whole neighborhoods in Sactown. Downtown employees and shoppers flood into the unmetered residential neighborhoods and then where are the residents supposed to park?
But in my opinion, the skating rink was really about the sales tax measure, H. Just a few years ago a consultant told the Finance Committee – including Sorensen and Morgan – exactly that. A town near Lake Tahoe ( I think they said Heavenly Valley) had wanted a sales tax measure, they couldn’t get the voters to agree with it. They installed a skating rink – BOOM! sales tax passed. I saw the wheels turning in Sorensen’s head when he heard that story, and the next thing you know, we got a skating rink, and BOOM! sales tax passed.
Frankly, I know some folks Downtown figured it would get rid of the transients, but that didn’t pan too well, they had to fence it to keep the transients out, and that’s just pissed off General Public. As soon as the rink’s gone I notice the campers file back in. I don’t know if they’re being moved along but I see them every time I go Downtown. Downtown is still a piss-smelling crazy house. The flies are getting really bad with the heat. On Sunday morning the smell of garbage is overwhelming. I think you have to drink a lot of booze to find the atmosphere enjoyable – which means more sales tax in the city coffers.
What are we going to do about it? We need to pass the Taxpayer Protection and Government Accountability Act – sheesh I wish they’d give it a ballot number so I don’t have to keep typing all that out. This measure will overturn Measure H, and then the city will have to come back to the table and deal with the public. As it is now, they just throw up their hands and keep collecting our money.