Not So Free Parking

We all love Long Beach, and especially a trip to 2nd Street in Belmont Shore for some boutique shopping, or upscale to casual sidewalk dining.

What we do not love, is the parking headache associated with it at times. Yes, parking on 2nd Street can test one's patience, and wallet if you do not pay attention to the meters or signs.

On November 5, 2013, the Long Beach City Council in a closed session approved the purchase of 205 la Verne Avenue to create an additional eight (8) parking places. Once the news of this was reported, residents from all parts of Long Beach have expressed concerns.

During Tuesday night's city council meeting, more residents opposed to the purchase of this home to create a mere eight-space parking lot were expressed. One opinion came from Frank Elizondo, who lives on a nearby street in which his home sits next to a similar parking lot.

Frank said, "My girlfriend does not go out at night. Once or twice a month, I get to clean up where someone became ill. At one point, a homeless person was living there. There are fights, and we recently had a shooting. You can even come across some X-rated activity once in a while. This is why my girlfriend does not go out at night. And just imagine the people living at 207 La Verne, they will get to experience what I currently am."

I can empathize with Mr. Elizondo. I have witnessed people attempting to break in to my friend's truck from the kitchen window. Those three young men were taken into custody after it was learned that they had also shoplifted in stores along 2nd Street and broke into another neighbor's car on Angelo Walk.

There are other options available to the city to help ease the strain of parking in the 2nd Street area. With a similar amount of funds, a pair of trolleys could be leased and funded by parking and trolley fees from the Granada Beach parking lot. Each trolley could run in opposing directions, thereby having the ability to cover both sides of 2nd Street.

If that were done it may even be possible to issue permit parking for the residential areas, which would also help during the Summer months when finding a parking place anywhere in the Belmont Shore is akin to striking gold.

But these and other options should be brought to the council and discussed so that their staff can work on a better, long term solution. It IS their job to do exactly that. That is why we the people elected them. To serve the public's interest.

And on this issue, the public IS interested.