Q. I am self-employed and use a cargo van for my business. The van is painted all white and used only by me. Would my van be considered a "commercial vehicle" and am I allowed to legally park in Sacramento County on the street of my house (residential parking)? Thanks for your time! -Deborah A. Since this is a two-part question, let’s start with the first order of business: determining if your van is considered a commercial vehicle. First, check your vehicle’s registration to see whether it’s registered as ‘automobile’ or ‘commercial.’ Depending on the make, model, and features of your van, the DMV may consider it ‘commercial’ regardless of whether you’re using it as a passenger car or

The city is trying to boot the homeless from a stretch of road under a freeway that has for years served as a refuge for those with nowhere to go. The area – both sides of 3rd Street, between W and X Streets – currently has no parking restrictions, and vehicles park there for lengthy periods of time, according to the city. There are 59 spaces along the section of 3rd Street – which is covered by freeways – and the police department has received multiple complaints of homeless people living in their cars, "creating an unsafe environment," according to a staff report. But it's not so simple, said one homeless man who wished to remain nameless, as he feared harassment from the city. "They'r

Two prominent Sacramento infill developers are in a pissing match over parking. The owner of Midtown's L Street Lofts – Bob Clippinger of Southern California – is suing previous owner Sotiris K. Kolokotronis for failing to pay for allegedly breaching a parking arrangement, according to a report in the Sacramento Business Journal. The arrangement allowed residents of an apartment complex across the street (at 1801 L Street), which Kolokotronis owns, to use 25 parking spaces at the luxury L Street Lofts, through a city parking permit. But when Kolokotronis lost 70 loft units to foreclosure in 2011, and Clippinger bought most of them in May, Kolokotronis allegedly stopped paying rent for t

The city of Sacramento is giving Downtown, Old Sacramento and Midtown shoppers a special treat this holiday season: free on-street parking. From now through Dec. 26, the city is offering free on-street parking after 4:30 p.m., and free on-street parking all day on weekends in specific locations. The free parking zone will extend from “I” to “L” streets and from Front to 29th streets, and only applies to metered on-street parking spaces. City of Sacrameto's 2012 Holiday Parking Map Please note: all parking violations are still enforceable as posted, such as time limit restrictions, street sweeping and colored zones, so if a parking space is limited to one hour, free parking is limited to

A comprehensive update to the city's parking code would eliminate the need for new businesses in the central business district to provide parking for their customers. City staff say that part of the intention of the measure, which is set to be discussed and voted on at next week’s City Council meeting on Tuesday, Oct. 30., is to make it easier for businesses to open in the central city, where it can be difficult for property owners or developers to create parking spaces.  We're working on a story about the parking code changes with interviews from city staff, businesses, developers and residents, and would like your input. Do you think the city's move to update the ordinance is a good id

Q: I live in a neighborhood that has only been partially developed. There is a large area of land that has had residential streets and electrical work put in, but the homes have not been built yet. Some of the people in the neighborhood have started using the undeveloped residential streets to park or store heavy equipment, huge industrial-type trailers, and big-rigs. Sometimes it’s just overnight, other times they’re are being stored for days or weeks, sometimes unattached to a truck. Is this legal? If not, how do I report it so it stops? - Eric A: Parking is governed by a variety of state, county, and city laws. State laws are very broad, such as prohibiting parking on bridges or in tu

Q: I got a parking ticket today for $407.50 which I simply cannot pay. I do not have any money and do not have a way to pay this ticket. How do I get community service granted to pay my fine? Luis A: That’s a high-priced parking ticket! Unfortunately there is no single answer to your question. You will need to contact the agency or city that gave you the ticket to find out what options they offer. If this is in the City of Sacramento, the city does not offer any type of community service option. However, you can request to make payments instead of paying the entire sum at once. You can download the payment plan request form from the city’s website.: There is a $30 fee to set up a paymen

A pilot parking program for Second Saturday Art Walks that would have affected Midtown street spaces is dead in the water, a staffer from City Councilman Rob Fong’s office confirmed Thursday. The program would have limited parking from 16th Street to 29th Street, and the south side of G Street to the south side of I Street to “residential only” parking on Second Saturdays. All other vehicles would have been limited to parking for two hours. “There’s not a lot of support for the program in our area,” said Julie Murphy of the Marshall School/New Era Park Neighborhood Association. The association sent a letter formally opposing the pilot program to Fong on June 11, stating that similar ide

Sacramento City Council members approved a plan Thursday to explore modernizing the city’s parking inventory by upgrading meters, shifting to a demand-based parking system and cracking down on disabled placard abusers. They say the ultimate goal is better customer service – and if revenue increases, too, all the better. What happened: The plan was approved by unanimous vote, and the first report back is expected in November. What it could mean to you: - New parking meters: The new machines would provide pay-by-phone service, take credit cards and send a text message to your phone when your time is about to expire. - A new parking rate system: A demand-based system would mean that the clo

One woman’s views of the issues plaguing downtown created a stir on The Sacramento Press yesterday, so we decided to look a little deeper. Emily Gerber was featured in a Sacramento Business Journal blog post Monday discussing how the lack of parking and grocery stores diminishes the appeal of living, working and visiting the downtown core. The main issues she brought up in the blog post, and the followup yesterday related to transit, food and music. Parking and transit How to manage parking and transit issues is a key debate among people who live and work downtown. As local historian William Burg sees it, parking is a matter of supply and demand, and challenges are unavoidable. “More

Here’s the scenario: It’s lunchtime and you live and work downtown. You’ve been craving Indian food from that little place 12 blocks away from the office – too far to walk, but you don’t want to drive because street parking is expensive and there’s never enough of it. What do you do? It’s a common frustration for city-dwellers and, as Ed Goldman writes in the Sacramento Business Journal, some people say it’s killing downtown. “Have you ever tried to drive to lunch around here?” downtown resident Emily Gerber asks Goldman in the article. “You pull up to a restaurant and there’s only one-hour parking, which means you either have to interrupt your lunch to go out and re-park your car or get

Welcome to another edition of the "Wake-Up Call," a rundown of items that we're working on, found interesting, or otherwise thought you might want to know about today. As is always the case here at Sac Press, suggestions are welcome. THINGS WE’RE WORKING ON SACTOMOFO 5: According to the SactoMoFo Facebook Page, July 21 will be the biggst mobile food festival the group has yet hosted, with more than 30 Northern California food trucks, live music and, yes, beer. It's going to be held at Sixth and X streets under the freeway again from noon - 7 p.m. We'll have an article next week telling you who's going to be there and what you can look forward to. If you're looking for more mobile food n

During peak hours, nearly 46,000 parking spaces remain empty in the Central City even on Second Saturday Art Walks according to a 2012 Nelson\Nygaard study. Despite these vacancies, it’s not unusual to see frustrated drivers circling around, block by block for curbside parking in Midtown or downtown during Second Saturday . To address this situation, the city of Sacramento is working with the Midtown Business Association (MBA), and state and private property owners to help decongest Sacramento’s on-street parking. Howard Chan, parking manager for the city of Sacramento, said the city is working on increasing the number of off-street parking spaces available to the Central City. “Our ef

Starting today, bicycles will have 10 more spaces to call their own during a pilot program spearheaded by the folks that brought you May is Bike Month. The new program places bright yellow bicycle corrals at three stations for a one-week trial period through June 20. Each corral holds up to 10 bicycles and takes the footprint of a single car parking space. The corrals are being donated by Park-a-Bike, a local Sacramento company that specializes in bicycle and skateboard racks and lockers “We're showing the city that this is a viable option. We'll get some feedback because it’s only going to be in for a week, and they don't have to pay a dime,” said A.J. Tendick, a public information offi

I moved to Midtown Sacramento in January 2007 from Washington DC. My neighborhood is a wonderful place to live – there is a vibrancy and energy unlike any other place in the Sacramento area. Theaters, restaurants, churches, bars, stores, clubs, and galleries provide a great deal of cultural capital and are one of the main reasons I love where I live. However, there is something that I find comically annoying: complaints about parking. Are there times when finding parking in Midtown can be difficult? Yes. Is this one of the major problems facing our city? No. A recently announced pilot program will create changes to street parking during Second Saturday in Midtown. The three-month trial wi

A city plan to extend parking restrictions during Second Saturday has split opinion between Midtown residents who see the plan as a solution to some of their parking problems – and those who believe it will only create more. The proposal is to create a pilot program that extends the hours of “residential only” permit parking areas from 6 p.m. to 12 a.m. on Second Saturdays, which have been a boon for Midtown businesses but an annoyance for some residents who have to share limited parking spaces with visitors. The pilot program wuold cover 16th Street to 29th Street, and the south side of G Street to the south side of I Street. If the response seems positive, the city would initiate a th

Sports fans and arena enthusiasts will have to wait a little longer for word on any “plan B’ for an entertainment and sports complex in the railyards – at least until the new city budget is resolved. “I was shooting for sometime in May, but it’s going to take a little longer,” Mayor Kevin Johnson told the media Tuesday. The city spent nearly $690,000 in the past year on consultants and research in preparation for building a new arena in the downtown railyards. When negotiations with the Maloof family, the Kings’ owners, collapsed, Johnson quickly set off in search of a viable ‘plan B’ – with or without the Maloofs. Johnson continues to meet with Tim Lieweke, president of Anschutz Enter

Midtown’s Très Chic Boutique announced this week that it will close its doors for good after 18 years in business. Owner Susan Tiesing, 53, said she decided to shutter the business by the end of May due to the impact of the economy as well as her need to be in Oroville to be with a family member in poor health. “I left my shop with my worthy store manager, and I think in this tough economy you can’t expect your business to continue on without you there,” Tiesing said. “Although I think she did a good job, I wasn’t there to manage it myself.” The shop, located at 2228 J St., specialized in prom dresses and clothing for special occasions. Tiesing said this is the first year she has seen

Picture yourself driving on a bustling, lit up street on a weekend evening in Midtown Sacramento. You’re out with friends, family, or on your way to meet a significant other. The reservations have been made, the movie time agreed on, and only one burning question remains: Where can I park? In recent years, Sacramento transformed from simply a capital city with a small-town vibe, to an up-and-coming cultural hub. This transformation is most evident in the thriving Midtown district, where the most prominent businesses are bars and restaurants. This rapid growth can be a cause for excitement, as well as a cause for dismay. The dismal and often frustrated, heated feelings seem to largely com

Even as the Sacramento Kings’ owners backpedal on a deal struck with the city and arena operator AEG, Mayor Kevin Johnson and the City Council voted 7-2 in favor of spending nearly $13 million on pre-development work associated with the new arena – $200,000 of that advanced from the NBA on behalf of the Maloofs. Less than one month after Johnson returned from Orlando announcing a deal had been struck, the Kings’ owners, the Maloof family, started balking at paying a share of the pre-development costs, which include development of the site plan for the arena and preparing for environmental reviews. In a March 20 letter to the city, the Maloofs expressed doubts about the city’s ability to