Citation rules anger drivers

   A buzzing gold Toyota Corolla zooms down the aisle of Lot 6 in search of the perfect parking spot. A spot. Any spot. Eyes darting from left to right, architect major Evelyn Garcia spots the red glow of a truck's tail lights. She gravitates to the red glow like a bug drifts to light. Zap! No spot.

   She slams the brakes, hits the steering wheel and exhales in frustration.

   She's been circling for more than an hour by now, hunting for that spot. To her right she catches another red glow. This time it's promising. The space frees up. She's got it.

   She pulls the keys out of the ignition, grabs her bag and runs to class. Late again.

   Parking. It's a problem. For everyone.

   "I got to class 15 minutes late because I was looking for parking. I almost got dropped from my class," she said with an exasperated look on her face.

   "I would park in the lot closest to 7-eleven but I can't see the parking spot lines," Garcia said. "I don't want other cars to hit my car."

   During tough economic times, parking citations hit students particularly hard.

   The first Monday of citing for parking permits, SAC security officials issued about 200 tickets, said Safety and Security Advisor Lt. James Wooley.

   Since fall, parking prices have increased, forcing many students to break parking regulations to grab a spot. But what can they do? Now parking permits cost $30. That's doubled of what it was in 2009. Daily parking permits also went up by 50 percent.

   If someone is caught, consequences are costly, with citations ranging from $20 to $250.

   From July 2009 through December 2009, about 2,794 citations were issued district wide. Only about 33 percent of the money collected from citations goes to the district.

   For example, the district receives $7 from a standard parking citation of $20. The bulk of the fees are then shared by the state, city and other jurisdictions, and an independent contractor, hired by the district to process the tickets, said Peter Hardash, vice chancellor of business and fiscal services.

   By law, the college is limited to using the fees collected from permits and citations for services, including maintenance and security. But not enough money is collected to support the current cost of parking maintenance, Hardash said.

   Adding to the burden of higher fees, parking citations are now being issued to drivers who attend any event at SAC, such as a game or theater production, meaning that guests need to pay $2 to park on campus even if it's only for a couple of hours.

   "As long as people park on campus they need a parking permit," Lt. Wooley said. "We wanted to treat everyone equally and be consistent with parking regulations."

   Regulations can be unforgiving. "I park and leave my car, so I have a spot, then I go get a day pass and when I come back I have a ticket," Julian Cardenas, criminal justice major, said. "Sometimes the machines don't even work."

   Despite the poor state of the 13 college lots, and the lack of public safety officers patrolling them, the fund from permit sales has at least contributed to the purchase of three new permit machines, expected to be installed within a few weeks. The new machines will accept credit and debit cards as well as cash, making it easier for students to get a permit.