Parking Discrimination

As a chronically ill senior citizen, for many years I have walked in the dry sand at Leadbetter Beach for cardio-vascular exercise, because walking in the dry sand is much easier on my arthritic joints than walking on hard surfaces. For many years, I have also purchased an annual waterfront parking permit so that I can park my VW van as close to the sand as possible.

This year, the City of Santa Barbara will not allow me to purchase an annual waterfront parking permit because my van contains a bed, a sink, and a pop-top, all of which were built into the van when I obtained it in 1969.

As I discovered when I moved into my current apartment, the City Parking Department requires verification of a residential address in order to receive an on-street parking permit. The city could use the same residential verification for a waterfront parking permit for vehicles like mine. As it now stands, I am very disappointed that the city is essentially discriminating against me, and other residents like me, because of the vehicles that we drive.