> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.hermosareview.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Detoy still the Grinch as Council restores free holiday parking, raises nearly every parking permit fee - URL: https://www.hermosareview.com/detoy-still-the-grinch-as-council-restores-free-holiday-parking-raises-nearly-every-parking-permit-fee/ - Published: 2026-11-11T14:28:08.000Z - Updated: 2026-11-11T14:28:08.000Z - Description: Hermosa Beach City Council reverses its October suspension 4-1, then lifts the residential permit to $80 as members point to the defeat of sales tax increase Measure HB - Author: Hermosa Review The Hermosa Beach City Council on Tuesday restored two weeks of free holiday parking downtown, reversing a decision it made less than a month ago. Later the same night, it raised the price of nearly every parking permit the city sells. The council voted 4-1 to offer complimentary parking at the city's 388 silver-post meters from Dec. 11 through Dec. 25\. Mayor Mike Detoy cast the lone no vote. The council had suspended the program for 2026 on Oct. 13. The council then voted 4-1 to raise the residential parking permit from $60 to $80, with Mayor Pro Tem Michael Keegan opposed, and approved increases for contractor, daily, event and employee permits. Several members tied the increases directly to the city's finances, a week after voters rejected Measure HB. ## Holiday parking returns for two weeks Councilmember Rob Saemann, who said he was the swing vote when the program was suspended, made the motion to bring it back. He said he had considered the $200,000 cost a prudent saving given the city's budget problems, but had since spoken with "many, many, many business owners" and changed his mind. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/6e/b0/6eb0c461-60b1-49cd-b904-5f02d7b5a05e/content/images/2026/11/Screenshot-2026-11-11-at-2.18.08---PM.png) Outgoing Councilmember Rob Saemann explains his change of heart. Saemann revised his earlier vote, now approving two weeks of free parking. Councilmember Dean Francois said he had always favored four weeks, in line with neighboring cities. "I think two weeks is just not enough," he said. He offered a substitute motion for three weeks, the compromise discussed at the council's Oct. 27 meeting, but it drew no second. Francois then voted for the two-week program. Both Francois and Saemann are coming to the end of their term on City Council, having been defeated in last week's election. The new council is planned to be seated at a special meeting on Dec. 3. City staff estimated the former three-week program at about $200,000 in lost revenue, or $66,795 per week in meter and citation revenue. Francois noted those figures are gross, not net. At the weekly rate, two weeks comes to roughly $134,000. Redondo Beach is expected to offer one week of free parking during Christmas week, according to staff. Manhattan Beach is considering Nov. 25 through Dec. 25. Chamber representative Michelle Crispin asked the council to restore at least two weeks and to build the program into future budgets. "It's seeing the red bags on the meters and knowing that the city is giving a little something back to the community for the holidays," she said. Lori Ford, a downtown business owner for 18 years, said a social media post supporting the program drew 5,290 supporters, 3,000 shares and 923 comments. Not every speaker agreed. Vince Busam cited studies from other cities finding free holiday parking does not increase business revenue. "I don't think this is about money. This is about feelings," he said. Caller Laura Peña countered that the Santa Monica comparisons were skewed by heavy rain in 2023 and COVID restrictions in 2020, and urged the city to collect its own data. ## Residential permits rise to $80 The council took up the residential permit program later in the evening. According to staff, the city has issued 6,373 residential permits this season at $60 each, generating $382,000, up 437 permits from last season. The fee rose from $50 to $60 in 2024. A motion to raise the fee to $70 was on the floor when Councilmember Raymond Jackson pushed for more. He initially proposed tiered pricing of $80, $90 and $120 for successive permits, then settled on a flat $80 as a substitute motion. Jackson said a $60 annual permit works out to about 13 cents a day for a space that could generate $3.50 an hour at a meter. He said the increase was an opportunity to generate revenue "particularly in light of our failure of Measure HB." "We can't continue the giveaways," he said. Jackson has come under fire personally during the election campaign, with claims that he has converted his own garage to a 'mancave', while attacking residents for doing the same. Keegan opposed tiered pricing, saying it would burden households with several roommates. He said the permit program was created in 1985 for under-parked neighborhoods and was never meant to make money. "My neighbors would be terribly offended by $100, $120 permits," he said. Saemann, who said he has lived in the permit zone for 35 years, argued the program exists so residents can park near their homes, not to raise money. He nonetheless supported $80, saying parking will get scarcer as state housing mandates add density and ADUs replace garages without replacement parking. The $80 fee passed 4-1, with Keegan opposed. If issuance holds at this season's level, the increase would bring in roughly $127,000 more per year, nearly matching the gross cost of the two weeks of holiday parking. The council also approved: - **Contractor permits:** $42 to $80 per 30 days, 5-0 - **Daily permits:** $12 to $24, 4-1, Detoy opposed - **Event permits:** $10 to $15 each, with the cap rising from 10 to 15 permits per event and the holiday exclusion kept, 3-2, Detoy and Jackson opposed - **Quarterly employee street permits:** $44 to $50, 4-1, Detoy opposed - **Lot C employee permits:** daytime $38 to $45 per month and 24-hour $75 to $100 per month, 4-1, Detoy opposed Detoy voted against every increase except the residential permit. During public comment, resident Nancy Schwappach said she understood permit fees could only recover the program's costs, and questioned why an increase was being discussed without cost data. Neither staff nor the city attorney addressed the point on the record. The new rates take effect with the 2027-28 permit season. Sales begin Feb. 1, and current permits expire Feb. 28. ## Permit rules: plates in, out-of-state cars out The council voted 5-0 to tie employee, contractor, daily and event permits to license plates so they can be checked by the city's automated license plate readers. Residents' transferable guest hang tags were exempted after members said requiring residents to log in and update a plate each time the tag changed hands would be too cumbersome. A motion by Saemann to let residents obtain stickers for vehicles registered out of state or to a business address failed 2-3\. Detoy, Jackson and Francois voted no. Jackson said California law requires residents to register vehicles where they live, and warned that broadening eligibility could create problems with the Coastal Commission. Staff said the current in-city registration requirement is one reason issuance has fallen from a peak of nearly 9,000 permits. A motion by Jackson to have employers, rather than individual employees, buy and manage employee permits also failed 2-3, with Detoy, Keegan and Francois opposed. "I won't be supporting this without staff talking to the Chamber and the business owners," Detoy said. Staff told the council the city has three license plate reader vehicles and seven community service officers trained to use them, and still chalks tires. Most of the city's single-space meters cannot record plates. Replacing them citywide with multi-space meters would cost "a few million dollars," staff said. A multi-space meter project on Pier Avenue is expected to begin in January or February. ## Also on the agenda **Special events limited to one year.** The council voted 5-0 to approve one-year agreements for 2027 instead of the three-year agreements staff proposed for 12 recurring events. Producers will pay direct costs while indirect costs, chiefly Pier Plaza location fees, remain waived as before. Agreements for 2028 and 2029 will go to the Parks and Recreation Commission for a full financial review first. Hermosa Beach Triathlon founder Michael Epstein told the council that paying the full Pier Plaza fee "would probably make us not do the event anymore." **No data center ban, for now.** Community Development Director Alison Becker reported that Hermosa Beach has no data centers and no pending applications, and that because the zoning code does not list them as an allowed use, they are considered prohibited. Staff recommended addressing them in the ongoing zoning code update. Jackson's motion to bring back an explicit ban as an action item failed 2-3, with only Jackson and Detoy in support. The council then voted 3-2 to receive and file the report, with Detoy and Jackson opposed. **Sidewalk and ramp grant.** The council voted 5-0 to approve $79,444 in Community Development Block Grant funds, plus an estimated $77,098 next year and about $80,767 in unspent funds, for ADA-compliant sidewalk panels and curb ramps on parts of Monterey Boulevard, Second Street, Valley Drive and Ardmore Avenue. **Volleyball policy pulled.** Three members supported removing a proposed volleyball court use policy, which would have restricted banners and flags on the beach, from the Dec. 8 agenda. The policy has been the subject of much opposition from within the volleyball community, with many feeling that it was unnecessary and heavy-handed. **Coming up.** The council will hold a special meeting Monday, Nov. 16, at 6 p.m. on amendments to the Chamber of Commerce agreement for 2027 events. The city is searching for a new city clerk, with Anne Yang serving as acting clerk. The Valley Park playground is scheduled to reopen Nov. 30.