July 11, 2025 Breaking News, Latest News, and Videos

Santa Monicans Frustrated After Getting Ticketed for Return of Weekly Street Sweeping

Residents say they were not notified resumption of regular sweeping this week 

By Sam Catanzaro

Many Santa Monica residents are voicing frustration after getting hit with $73 parking tickets, saying they were not informed that weekly street sweeping returned to the city this week. 

The City of Santa Monica suspended street sweeping and citations associated with street sweeping on March 17, 2020, as part of the City’s fourth emergency ordinance in response to the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. 

On July 1, 2020 street sweeping and related citations resumed in Santa Monica, but only on a monthly basis, during the first full week of each month. 

On June 22, 2021, weekly street sweeping was reinstated to start in September as part of Santa Monica’s biennial budget. Due to Laboy Day, however, the weekly street sweeping began on Monday, August 30, and many residents were caught off guard. 

One of these residents is Gary Gurner, who has lived in the area of Idaho Avenue and 16th Street since the mid 1970s, and got a parking ticket Tuesday for not moving his car to make way for street sweeping. 

“As you know, during the ongoing pandemic, street sweeping was only taking place the first full week of every month. I checked last week and the website indicated that regulation was still in effect,” Gurner said. “I don’t know a single resident who was notified of this sudden change including me. A friend told me that he spoke with one of the parking enforcement officers on 3rd Street yesterday and that they were late because “we were writing so many more parking tickets. The city needed to alert residents regarding this change in a better way. Had that been done, I could have easily moved my car to avoid this $73.00 ticket.” 

Just a few blocks away from Gurner’s residence, Kevin Laffey shared a similar experience about receiving a parking ticket Tuesday. Laffey, who lives in an apartment building on 19th Street, says nobody in the complex was notified by the City. 

“No one in our complex is aware that as of today street sweeping days have gone from once a month to once every week again after well over a year,” Laffey said on Tuesday. “We weren’t notified directly by the city via text, email or flyer, our landlord wasn’t informed, nor have the parking signs been updated. They didn’t have to be as they were never changed in the first place when sweeping went monthly! Because of that, our community has always been kept guessing when to move our cars due to the lack of communication and consideration on the part of the City of Santa Monica.” 

“The SMPD Parking Enforcement division should be prepared for a backlog of complaints, contested tickets, and angry citizens. A more cynical person might think that for the City to not have been transparent, and by not alerting the public in a fulsome way, this irresponsible inaction is really just a money grab that prays on us unsuspecting tax payers. To be fair, however, they’d only be half right,” Laffey added. 

When reached for comment, a spokesperson for the City said the August 30 date for resumed weekly sweeping was shared through the City’s website, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Nextdoor, the bi-weekly SaMoNews community newsletter and digital message boards throughout Santa Monica. The only physical notification about the return of weekly street sweeping, however, was in the September edition of Seascape, the City’s official monthly newsletter. The announcement was made in a small text box on the bottom of page 2. 

The Santa Monica Mirror has reached out to the City following up, asking if it expected every resident to carefully read Seascape to learn about the return of weekly street sweeping, considering not all residents follow the City on social media. In addition, the Mirror asked the City if all residents received an issue of Seascape. The following response was received from Constance Farrell, Public Information Officer for the Cit, after this article was initially published:

“I think outreach needs to be considered cumulatively and not just at Seascape itself. Each of the inclusions, including three rounds of social media on each platform (Aug. 16, 23, 29) along with significant shares/retweets, including by neighborhood groups, SaMoNews (reaching 24K) and the digital message boards does add up.

Seascape does get delivered to apartment complexes, but for some residences, it may be a large stack at the mail area and not directly in mailboxes; it does vary.

I do encourage anyone who does not feel that they were sufficiently notified to an initiate an appeal.”

in News
<>Related Posts

L.A. Louver Marks David Hockney’s 88th with Exhibit

July 11, 2025

July 11, 2025

Hockney, a British artist born in 1937, gained fame with the British Pop Art movement and later became known for...

Suspect Arrested in Shoe Retail Theft Spree Across LA County

July 11, 2025

July 11, 2025

During the search, police recovered two firearms and a significant quantity of merchandise The Los Angeles Police Department’s Organized Retail...

Suspect Arrested in Santa Monica Pier Arson Incidents

July 10, 2025

July 10, 2025

The suspect, matching video footage from an arcade, was taken into custody Santa Monica Police Department officers arrested a suspect...

SMPD Launch New Recruitment Website Amid High Vacancy Rates

July 10, 2025

July 10, 2025

The site features multimedia content, including day-in-the-life videos and officer profiles, highlighting the impact of serving the community The Santa...

Father-Daughter Authors to Host Book Signing to Aid Fire-Affected Women

July 10, 2025

July 10, 2025

Ten percent of proceeds from book and art sales will benefit the Pacific Palisades Rebuilding Fund, a nonprofit initiative created...

Metro Reports Crime Drop, Higher Rider Satisfaction, and Progress on Major Projects

July 9, 2025

July 9, 2025

The Authority said the drop in violent incidents—down to the lowest level since May 2019—coincided with more uniformed personnel and...

Santa Monica Joins Regional Lawsuit to Halt Unconstitutional ICE Raids

July 9, 2025

July 9, 2025

The motion to intervene seeks to ensure that Santa Monica and other plaintiff-intervenors can advocate for their residents’ rights in...

Promenade Restaurant Introduces Lunch Menu Set at $18 Per Person

July 9, 2025

July 9, 2025

The fixed $18 price point targets commuters and those seeking a power lunch or a change of scenery The restaurant...

Santa Monica Council Votes in Support of Park-Centric Future at Airport Site

July 9, 2025

July 9, 2025

The decision followed a contentious meeting with over 140 public speakers and more than 1,000 emails received by the council...

Housing for Health Chief Appointed to Lead Unified Homeless Services Department

July 9, 2025

July 9, 2025

Veteran Housing Advocate to Oversee Streamlined LA County Services The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday confirmed the...

‘Adoptapalooza’ Pet Adoption Festival Returns to Main Street This Weekend

July 9, 2025

July 9, 2025

The free, family-friendly event aims to connect adoptable animals with new owners Green Dog Dental & Veterinary Center will host...

Virtual Town Hall to Discuss Proposed Resilient Rebuilding Authority

July 9, 2025

July 9, 2025

The agency, to be run by political appointees, would manage permitting, development, zoning, and funding, modeled after post-disaster recoveries Los...

New Agenda Coaching: Changing Lives in LA

July 8, 2025

July 8, 2025

Students Work Toward Applied Success with Executive Function Coaching Services The demands of daily routines and studies sometimes bear weight...

Saint Monica Prep Students Win Award for Anti-Street Racing PSA Video

July 8, 2025

July 8, 2025

The winning public service announcement, titled “Not Worth It,” was highlighted in a post on X by @LADOTofficial  Students from...

Anti-Drunk Driving Resolution Introduced as City Council Honors Late Palisades Teen Killed in Crash

July 8, 2025

July 8, 2025

Levi, who was set to attend the University of Virginia this fall, was killed by a drunk driver on May...