The Lumberjack



Students Serving The Cal Poly Humboldt Campus and Community Since 1929

Tag: Parking enforcement

  • The campus parking patrol sucks

    by Brad Butterfield

    I have this old 1978 Mercedes 300d named Cocoa. I spent somewhere around 100 hours over summer repairing her rust-holes and fixing a plethora of engine issues. Cocoa runs pretty well now, and most of the holes are patched – most, but not all. As a result, I’ve been covering her during Humboldt County’s rainy days. Throughout summer and the fall semester, Cocoa has been parked on campus, covered, without issue. She is properly permitted to park on campus.

    Then, on Monday, Nov. 13, along with two parking citations on my RV, Cocoa had a nasty $40 citation taped to her cover. The RV parking tickets list “no use of vehicle for living/overnight” and “beyond designated lines,” as reasons for citation. The comment section of the $53 “overnight” violation reads, “windows covered,” as proof I was occupying the RV overnight. My RV, Tibby, was parked within the designated lines, as shown by the Parking Patrol’s own photos. 

    That’s $173 in parking fines for properly parked and permitted vehicles in two days.

    Monday marked the first morning of the university’s sudden enforcement of the regulation against overnight sleeping in vehicles on campus. Three weeks of meetings with administrators on this issue resulted in more confusion than clarity. I had been told by Lt. Peter Cress of university police that multiple days of probable cause and/or reasonable suspicion proving one’s vehicle was being used for sleeping would have to be established before citation or other disciplinary actions like academic probation, suspension or arrest could be considered. Cress was either misguided, misinformed or purposefully misleading, as nearly every van, bus and RV was cited on the morning of Nov. 13. Even van-dwelling students who had accepted the university’s offer for temporary dorm housing received parking citations. Most of us vehicle dwellers, aware of the university’s attempt to evict us, were not in our vehicles when given citations. We stayed at friends’ houses, on gym floors and in dorms. No attempts were made to discern if the vehicles were actually occupied. The university went ahead with a blanket citation for all potential vehicle dwellers citing ‘windows covered’ as reason for the expensive citations.

    In black sharpie on an old pizza box, I wrote my permit number and placed it on Cocoa’s (covered) windshield so as to avoid further citation on the 14th. Despite this I, again, awoke to a $40 citation on Cocoa taped next to my blatant pizza-box-sign showcasing my permit number. 

    Whether or not I have been targeted for my weeks of advocacy for Cal Poly Humboldt’s homeless students is difficult to prove –  especially with an administration that governs like a closed-off dictatorship. Particularly suspicious are the citations on Cocoa, which had been parked and covered, in the G11 lot adjacent to the Parking Patrol kiosk during most of the fall semester without issue. Regardless, four parking tickets totalling $173 for properly parked and permitted vehicles is ludicrous. 

    After Cocoa’s second citation, I asked Krista Paddock (Transportation & Parking Services) questions to clarify the reasoning behind the citation. Paddock was immediately hostile, wholly unhelpful and displayed a total lack of professionalism and respect.

    I attempted to set up a meeting with Cris Koczera, Director of Risk Management & Safety Services, and Mark Johnson, Chief of Staff, mediated by university Ombuds, Suzanne Pasztor, to discuss parking enforcement and the creation of a safe parking program on campus. Kozcera agreed to the meeting, but Johnson did not.

    “I heard back from Mark Johnson this afternoon.  He is stating that neither he nor Chris Koczera will be meeting with you. He is indicating that the university’s policy on this, and its stance on the options presented is clear. For this reason, he thinks that no constructive discussion is to be had,” Pasztor sent in an email on Monday evening.

    Johnson introduced himself to The Lumberjack team as the “relationship builder,” and said he would commit to being available during a presentation on Sep. 28. So far, every meeting I have attempted to schedule with the grand relationship builder has been ignored, canceled or cut short. 

    Every conversation with parking patrol officers regarding these unjust citations has resulted in them repeating, “You’re welcome to contest the citation online.” Well, that’s not good enough for me. I’ve been wrongly cited four times in two days. I’ve paid to park on campus and should not be cited without just cause.

    Hey Parking Patrol, leave me alone – please!

    Your Friend,

    Brad Butterfield

  • Cal Poly Humboldt issues parking citations to students living in vehicles

    Cal Poly Humboldt issues parking citations to students living in vehicles

    by Jillian Wells

    On the morning of Nov. 13, students living in alternative housing such as vans, RVs, campers and motorhomes on campus awoke to parking tickets on their vehicles. The parking tickets each cost between $40-$53, with some students receiving multiple citations. 

    The enforcement of parking regulations came 19 days after the university sent out an initial email, notifying students that they would be enforcing a previously overlooked policy that prohibits overnight camping.

     This decision to enforce this policy sparked community backlash and has gained national attention, as there was a Los Angeles Times reporter interviewing students this week. 

    The citations issued to students outlined various violations, including “No Use of Vehicle for Living/Overnight” and “Beyond Designated Lanes.” Additionally, comments on the tickets highlighted specific infractions such as “windows being covered.”

    Cris Koczera, the Interim Director of Risk Management & Safety, did not respond to requests about further clarification about the criteria for determining if a student is sleeping in a vehicle by press time.

    Student Derek Batty lived in a vehicle on campus, but made the decision to move into temporary housing to avoid receiving a citation.

    “I feel more homeless in this place [temporary housing] than I did before,” Batty said. “I’m grateful for it for sure, but I wish we just didn’t get kicked out.”

    Batty also said that despite moving into temporary housing, he received a parking ticket on the morning of Nov. 13 because his windows were covered up. 

    “They can’t prove that we’re sleeping in the vehicle based on having [the windows] covered,” said Brad Butterfield, vice president of the Alternative Living Club, in an impromptu meeting on Nov. 13.

     They expressed frustration and asserted that just because their windows are covered up isn’t evidence that they are sleeping in their vehicles. 

    Ethan LeVering, an Associated Students (A.S.) delegate for the University Senate, pointed out a lack of consideration in the enforcement process.

    “They did not knock on the vehicles, they did nothing to check if anyone was in there,” LeVering said. “They simply left the little ticket and ran off.”

    The University Police Department (UPD) declined to comment. LeVering also criticized the university’s approach.  

    “These students have not been given a presumption of innocence, which is outright un-American,” LeVering said.

    Carrie White, a student who lives in their vehicle, emphasized the economic ramifications of the parking citations.

    “That’s what they’re [Cal Poly Humboldt] working on, the economic punishment,” White said. “They know we don’t have any money, so they’re going to ticket us until we have no choice. They’ll break the bank before they break our will.”

    Caleb Chen, another impacted student, expressed his concerns about the timing of the ticketing. He believes that the university is starting the citation process just before fall break to limit potential media coverage and keep the ticketing discreet.

    “They could tow us at the beginning of fall break… to remove the vehicles silently while all the students were gone,” Chen said.

    Chen added that while he appreciates the option of temporary housing, he’s not interested.

    “At this point, it’s about making sure there’s a solution for future students and all their [Cal Poly Humboldt’s] solutions only go until December 18.”

    Brad Butterfield is a member of The Lumberjack. He did not help write or edit this article.