The Beverly Hills City Council at its Oct. 28 meeting voted unanimously to limit participation in the city’s preferential and overnight parking permit programs for residents of certain projects that have utilized state law to provide fewer parking spaces than would otherwise be required by the city’s municipal code.
Those laws include, most prominently, Assembly Bill 2097, which bans cities from imposing minimum parking requirements on developments located within a half-mile of major public transit.
According to a report prepared by city staff, the relevant state laws were enacted, in part, to support California’s goals of encouraging public transit, discouraging the use of personal vehicles and reducing the cost of building housing.
The proposed city ordinance is, according to the report, “in support of these statewide goals.” The limitations would also prevent street overcrowding and protect on-street parking for current residents and commercial users.
Following a City Council discussion about limiting parking permits in October 2024, the city’s Traffic and Parking Commission reviewed the conceptual program in March. It was further refined in June.
The city’s preferential parking permit program allows permit holders to park on streets in their zone between 8 a.m. and 2:30 a.m. and in excess of time-limited parking restrictions. The overnight parking permit program allows permit holders to park between the hours of 2:30 a.m. and 5 a.m., which the city’s overnight parking prohibition otherwise forbids.
Under the new ordinance, projects whose residents will be ineligible for parking permits are defined as “those that have provided a reduced number of parking spaces than would otherwise be required by the city through the use of state and/or local exemptions.”
Owners of such properties will be required to notify new residents of the prohibitions. If an existing project becomes ineligible for participation in the city’s preferential parking programs, residents who already have permits will be exempt from the ban.
City Councilmember Lester Friedman expressed his support for the measure at the Oct. 28 meeting, adding that he is pleased that residents will be notified in advance that these buildings do not offer parking. He also voiced skepticism that public transit will be used as state officials predict.
“I know that the state of California believes that rapid transit in a city like Los Angeles is going to cure the evil,” he said. “I’m not so sure I agree with that. But in any event, that horse has left the barn … I just hope that some of the buildings that are being constructed now realize that they are under-parking and perhaps will change some of their plans so that each unit has parking available. But that, of course, is their own choice.”
Mayor Sharona Nazarian emphasized that the ordinance is an effort to align with regulations put forth by state government.
“Sacramento and the state wanted to change parking laws so that anything that’s built near a transit does not require parking … and so I think that this is a great way to show our partnership with Sacramento in supporting that,” she said, adding, “If you are building close to a transit you should be relying less on cars. That’s what Sacramento’s message is. And so, we hear you, and we are abiding by that.”
In other business, the council adopted an urgency ordinance to adopt, by reference, the 2025 California Building Standards Code, with applicable local amendments to the California Building Standards Code and other technical codes.
The California Building Standards Commission adopts a new version of the California Building Standards Code every three years. Following the council’s vote, the code will automatically take effect on Jan. 1, 2026.
An urgency ordinance was needed to ensure that the city is aligned with the state’s implementation timeline.
