Seal Beach Police Department officials have received complaints that Main Street merchants have been erasing parking enforcement chalk marks from tires.
The Police Department has notified merchants that this is illegal.
Sgt. Ron Lavelle said he did not know if the merchants, who have not been publicly identified, were erasing chalk marks on the tires of their own cars, their employees’ cars or on their customers’ cars.
However, he said he did know that people have been complaining about merchants removing the chalk marks in an apparent attempt to avoid parking citations.
“That is a municipal code violation to remove the marker,” Lavelle said.
“Granted, it’s not the most serious issue in town, but parking is an issue in every beach town,” Lavelle said. He said the Seal Beach Police Department is now looking at issuing citations to anyone who removes the chalk markers.
“I feel for the folks on Main Street,” Lavelle said.
He said they sometimes try to bring goods into their stores through the front.
He said it has to be difficult for merchants and their employees.
“But it’s fairest if we all try to abide by the rules,” Lavelle said.
According to Lavelle, individuals who have received parking citations may feel their sense of injustice “inflamed” if they see someone else evading a parking citation.
The precise sources of the complaints are not known.
District One Councilwoman Ellery Deaton, whose district includes Main Street, said she had heard about the chalk mark erasing from merchants.
She passed the information along to the police, who are watching the matter “because we want those spaces on Main Street for customers,” Deaton said.
Police recently issued an e-mail to warn merchants that erasing the chalk marks is against the city code.
“In the Old Town area there are many zones which are controlled by hourly or minute restrictions,” said Sgt. John Scott in his message.
“Specifically, the areas on Main Street which are limited by either two hour or 24 minute time restrictions have become a problem,” Scott said.
“Several merchants or their employees have been witnessed removing the chalk marks placed on the rear tires of the vehicles parked in these time limited zones,” Scott said. “This presumably is being done to avoid having to move their vehicles and or to avoid receiving a parking ticket.
“As we all know, parking is a premium on Main Street and the parking laws assist the merchants ensuring that no one is allowed to monopolize parking spaces that are needed by the merchants for their customers,” Scott said.
“Effective immediately, anyone who is seen to be removing the small chalk marks placed on the tires of vehicles parked in time limited zones will be contacted by an officer and possibly cited,” Scott said.
According to Scott, the goal is not to single anyone out.
“While we know erasing is being done, we would rather it stop than to have to cite anyone,” Scott said.
Deaton said merchants could buy passes from City Hall that allow parking off Main Street, freeing up the Main Street spaces for customers.
