9.17.2026: Parking Advisory Committee

The City of Ventura Parking Advisory Committee met on October 7, 2026 (the meeting title references September 17). The committee lacked a quorum, so the meeting was informational and no votes or formal recommendations were made. Staff discussed a potential procurement for replacement gate and payment equipment at the Beach Parking Structure. The city is negotiating with Flash Parking through a cooperative purchasing agreement, subject to legal, risk, and IT review; if negotiations do not succeed, staff may issue an RFP. Staff expected to clarify the path forward within a few weeks, with installation potentially in December or January if the cooperative agreement proceeds. Staff also reported that a contractor recently repaired the structure’s southeast stairwell. For the Ventura County Fair, the city paid the state a little over $20,000 for a permit to use adjacent property and collected $72,945 in parking revenue; staffing and overtime costs were not yet calculated, and staff agreed to provide a more detailed net-revenue breakdown at a later meeting.

Staff reviewed parking finances, noting a negative opening balance of about $1.44 million for the current fiscal year and discussing revenue pressures including the loss of roughly $350,000 associated with Main Street parking and about $500,000 in Beach Parking Structure debt costs. The city is also spending $227,000 from the parking authority on environmental review for a proposed parking structure at Palm and Santa Clara; the review is underway and is not construction approval. Other topics included the recently installed downtown meters, the city’s 90-minute-free parking policy, and coastal-zone review for possible changes to downtown paid parking. These discussions may inform future committee recommendations, but no procurement award or spending action was approved at this meeting.