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PROPOSED PENALTY INCREASES Base Penalty and Proposed General Increase Since Pleasanton assumed the responsibility for processing and adjudicating parking citations in 1993, the City has never revised its parking citation penalties. If the tasks accomplished by the Police and Finance Departments, general overhead, and the state mandated penalties for courthouse and jail construction are considered, the base amount for each parking citation is approximately $45. The parking penalties in the Master Fee Schedule currently range between $20 and $275. Since the base amount of a parking citation is approximately $45, staff recommends increasing each penalty, unless otherwise provided below, a minimum of $25. The proposed penalties are included as an attachment to the proposed Resolution amending the Master Fee Schedule. Please see Attachment 1 to this agenda report. Other Jurisdictions Staff reviewed the parking penalties of other local jurisdictions, including San Ramon, Livermore, Dublin, Hayward, and Piedmont, as well as the Traffic Infraction Fixed Penalty Schedule found in the Uniform Bail and Penalty Schedules (per California Rules of Court, Rule 4.102). Although the proposed penalties are slightly higher, with exceptions described below, than the penalties in other jurisdictions, the surveyed cities have not increased their penalties in response to SB 1407. Parking in Parking Spaces Designated for Persons with Disabilities One of the most common complaints relating to parking that the Police Department receives is for vehicles without disabled placards that are parked in parking spaces designated for persons with disabilities. Because persons with disabilities need to use these spaces to access locations such as businesses and governmental offices and facilities throughout Pleasanton, it is imperative that these spaces be kept available for them. Parking without a disabled placard is one of the most common complaints received by the Police Department, and it is the parking citation most frequently issued. Although it is the most frequently issued citation, in 2008 approximately 54% were dismissed by the Police Department during the initial administrative review (which is free) because the person cited provided proof of a valid placard at the time the citation was issued. The average administrative cost for the Police Department to review a parking citation issued for parking in spaces designated for persons with disabilities, investigate the facts and provide a written decision to dismiss or uphold the citation is approximately $75 in about 80% of the cases and $110 in about 20% of the cases, for a total cost of approximately $16,400 per year (based on approximately 200 citations reviewed). California Vehicle Code §40226 provides that the issuing agencies, like the City of Pleasanton, may, in lieu of collecting a penalty for a citation for failing to display a disabled placard, charge an administrative fee not to exceed $25 to process the citation's cancellation. If a $25 processing fee were charged, the City would likely Page 4 of 6