ITEM 8-A

City Council Meeting 6-9-92                Santa Monica, California

                               STAFF REPORT

TO:       Mayor and City Council

FROM:     City Attorney

SUBJECT:  Ordinance Amending Santa Monica Municipal Code
          Section 3366A Relating to Disabled Parking Zones

     At its meeting on March 3, 1992, the City Council directed the
City Attorney to prepare an ordinance amending Municipal Code
Section 3366a relating to disabled parking zones.  In response to
this direction, the ordinance has been prepared and is presented to
the City Council for its consideration.

     The accompanying ordinance amends Municipal Code Section 3366A
to replace the term "Physically Handicapped Zones" with the term
"Disabled Parking Zones," so that Municipal Code terminology is
consistent with the California Vehicle Code.

     In addition, this Section has been amended to provide that the
City Parking & Traffic Engineer may make a determination to create
or remove Disabled Parking Zones without having to obtain City
Council approval.  The Section currently provides that the City
Council has sole authority to create or remove Disabled Parking
Zones.

                              RECOMMENDATION

     It is respectfully requested that the accompanying ordinance
be introduced for first reading.

Prepared By:  Robert M. Myers, City Attorney

                                     
                           ORDINANCE NUMBER ____

                           (City Council Series)

               AN ORDINANCE OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY
              OF SANTA MONICA AMENDING SANTA MONICA MUNICIPAL
                  CODE SECTION 3366A RELATING TO DISABLED
                               PARKING ZONES

     THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF SANTA MONICA DOES ORDAIN AS
FOLLOWS:

     SECTION 1.  Santa Monica Municipal Code Section 3366A is
amended to read as follows:

               SECTION 3366A.  Disabled Parking Zones. 
          A Disabled Parking Zone shall exist where the
          curb or edge of the paved portion of the
          street adjacent to the space or where the
          stall or spaces in any publicly owned or
          operated offstreet parking facility have been
          designated for parking for disabled persons in
          the manner required by the Vehicle Code.
          
               No person shall stop or park a vehicle in
          a Disabled Parking Zone unless the vehicle has
          distinguishing license plates issued to
          disabled persons pursuant to Vehicle Code
          Section 5007 or displays a placard issued to
          disabled persons pursuant to Vehicle Code
          Section 22511.55.  Any vehicle parked in
          violation of this Section may be removed from
          the Disabled Parking Zone in the manner
          authorized by law.
          
               A Disabled Parking Zone may be
          established in the sole discretion of the City
          Parking and Traffic Engineer upon the request
          of any individual or upon the recommendation
          of the Parking and Traffic Engineer, if either
          of the following factors exist:
          
                    (1)  Curb parking is insufficient
          due to heavy area parking.
          
                    (2)  Sufficient vehicular activity
          by disabled persons exists at the location.
          
               SECTION 2.  Any provision of the Santa Monica Municipal Code
or appendices thereto inconsistent with the provisions of this
Ordinance, to the extent of such inconsistencies and no further,
are hereby repealed or modified to that extent necessary to affect
the provisions of this Ordinance.

     SECTION 3.  If any section, subsection, sentence, clause or
phrase of this Ordinance is for any reason held to be invalid or
unconstitutional by a decision of any court of any competent
jurisdiction, such decision shall not affect the validity of the
remaining portions of this Ordinance.  The City Council hereby
declares that it would have passed this Ordinance, and each and
every section, subsection, sentence, clause, or phrase not declared
invalid or unconstitutional without regard to whether any portion
of the Ordinance would be subsequently declared invalid or
unconstitutional.

     SECTION 4.  The Mayor shall sign and the City Clerk shall
attest to the passage of this Ordinance.  The City Clerk shall
cause the same to be published once in the official newspaper
within 15 days after its adoption.  This Ordinance shall become
effective after 30 days from its adoption.

APPROVED AS TO FORM:

_____________________________
ROBERT M. MYERS
City Attorney