The paid parking program has been a disaster. Locals have been boycotting the downtown. This hurts businesses and deprives the city of much needed sales tax revenue. People do not like using the kiosks or the Flowbird parking app. The City of Paso Robles has lost a lot of money on the program and refuse to give up on it. Instead three city council members – Steven Gregory, Sharon Roden and John Hamon – have vote to start charging from the first minute. This just defies logic and common sense.
I have talked to business owners located next to or near the park. Only one business is for paid parking. They said that downtown employees were taking up spaces next to or near their business. I made at least seven visits to that location and never had a problem finding a space at or very close to their store. All of the other businesses indicated that locals had returned. Revenues were way up. This disproves the theory that employees were the problem or that locals were not a big source of revenue.
Since the City Council voted to continue this very unpopular program opponents of the paid parking program have launched a referendum and are in the process of collecting signatures. They need 1800 valid signature by the end of March to stop the parking ordinance and get the issue on the ballot so the citizens of Paso Robles can decide.