For the Sun
Why Seal Beach must keep free parking on Main Street
Opinion by Tom Moore
Seal Beach has always been defined by its small-town charm—its walkable, welcoming Main Street and the sense that residents and visitors alike are invited to enjoy our community without barriers. Free parking is part of that identity. As the idea of installing paid parking resurfaces, we must look carefully at the real-world evidence and the impact this would have on our residents, businesses, and quality of life. When we do, the conclusion is clear: paid parking is not right for Seal Beach.
Failed examples: Paso Robles and Ventura
Cities similar to Seal Beach have already tried paid parking and reversed course after public backlash and economic harm. Paso Robles, cited to the council and Seal Beach early in 2023 as a—successful—model, went through a chaotic cycle of approving paid parking, reversing it, reinstating it, and then reversing it again. The result? Protest booths on every corner, upset residents and businesses, and hundreds of thousands of dollars wasted on pay stations now sitting unused. The kiosks themselves were widely considered eyesores, cluttering the charming downtown they were supposed to support.
Ventura had a similar outcome—initial approval, community anger, and eventual repeal. These examples show a consistent pattern: paid parking in small coastal towns creates more problems than it solves.
Paid parking erodes our small-town atmosphere
Imagine twenty metal pay stations lining Main Street—that is the number previously discussed in city reports. They would fundamentally change the visual experience and undermine the charm that makes Seal Beach special. Our downtown is not a large commercial district; it is intimate and historic. Pay stations may work in big cities, but in a small beach town they look out of place and intrusive.
Paid parking also creates unnecessary frustration. Picture a Leisure World resident excited for lunch on Main Street, only to spend extra time figuring out a kiosk. I recently watched people in Newport Beach abandon their attempts to use the meters and simply leave. That is not what we want for Seal Beach.
It hurts local businesses
Within two miles of Main Street, residents and visitors can choose from multiple free-parking destinations: 2nd and PCH, the Shops at Rossmoor, the Ralphs center, and the Pavilions center, Los Alamitos, Cerritos, Lakewood or pretty much any city comparable to Seal Beach’s size. These are direct competitors. Instituting paid parking while our neighbors offer free parking will push customers—and revenue—away from our small businesses.
Many residents already avoid places like Newport Beach’s pier because of $3-$4 an hour parking. If we would not pay those rates elsewhere, why would visitors pay them here?
High costs, uncertain revenue, and inevitable backlash
Paid parking requires significant upfront spending: kiosks, installation, maintenance, software, and enforcement. Cities often discover the expected revenue never materializes, particularly once visitor behaviors change or residents reduce trips downtown. After backlash, many councils eventually reverse course—meaning the city wastes money and loses trust.
Why spend hundreds of thousands of dollars to create frustration, harm businesses, anger residents, and potentially land in the same reversal cycle that has plagued other cities?
Better solutions already exist
In 2023, Seal Beach formed a parking committee of residents and business owners to study downtown parking. After months of work, the committee recommended practical improvements:
• Better signage directing visitors to underused beach lots
• Consistent parking laws citywide
• Solutions for Montecito condo residents
• Partnerships with businesses behind Main Street to expand shared parking options
None of these recommendations have been implemented. Instead, the conversation has shifted toward paid parking—an idea that contradicts the very values Seal Beach prides itself on.
Preserving what makes Seal Beach special
Seal Beach is not Huntington Beach or Newport Beach. We do not need to turn Main Street into a revenue-generating machine at the expense of our character. Free parking supports our residents, our seniors, our families, and our small businesses. It keeps Seal Beach accessible and welcoming.
Paid parking is not progress—it is a step away from who we are.
Free parking is worth protecting, and Seal Beach should keep it.
Tom Moore is a former member of the Seal Beach City Council.
Paid parking, a practical tool to help Main Street thrive
Opinion by Matthew Terry
Something has to change on Main Street when it comes to parking.
Whether you agree or disagree with paid parking on Main Street, I hope everyone can acknowledge that the current setup isn’t working and needs to change.
Many years ago, when a previous city council backpedaled at the last minute on implementing paid parking on Main Street, it left us with the bizarre situation we have today, where Main Street parking is free while the off-street lots, excluding the beach lots, are paid.
I challenge anyone to find a parking consultant who thinks this is a good system.
The basic idea behind paid parking is simple. The most desirable spaces should be paid, while the less desirable ones are priced accordingly.
The backwards way we have it set up now just results in people wasting their time circling the block many times over, looking for that elusive free spot when they should be shopping.
At a bare minimum, the least controversial step we can take right now to improve the situation is to address this by making parking on Main Street paid and the off-street lots free.
Even that, however, only addresses part of the problem.
Main Street is struggling, yet nearly every curbside parking space is often full. Because parking is free, it’s impossible to know how many of those cars are actually associated with people doing business on Main Street.
This is concerning because most people arrive on Main Street by car and with the limited number of parking spaces available, this situation can discourage would-be shoppers from visiting.
We need to make sure every space is being used as effectively as possible, because what we have is what we have. The idea of a parking garage in Old Town gets raised often, but for a number of reasons, that is not a realistic solution.
With free parking, our options are limited. With paid parking, however, we can start taking control and ensure that people parking on Main Street are there for a reason, to shop, dine, and support local businesses.
One benefit of implementing paid parking on Main Street is the added flexibility in how parking spaces are used. For example, the first 20 minutes could be free, allowing for quick stops like grabbing a coffee or picking something up at the liquor store. Right now, only a few spaces on Main Street are designated for short-term parking. With paid parking, nearly the entire street could serve that purpose.
Most importantly, any revenue generated from paid parking should be reinvested directly back into Main Street. This could include improved lighting, better sidewalk amenities and relief for local businesses by eliminating all in-lieu parking fees.
Some worry that paid parking could discourage visitors. But the city has access to near real-time data through license plate readers on police vehicles, allowing it to measure how effectively the program is working and make adjustments quickly if needed.
I know some residents take pride in the fact that we are one of the few remaining beach towns without paid parking on our Main Street, seeing it as a key part of Main Street’s small-town charm.
But let’s be clear, whether someone pays $2 or not has nothing to do with what makes Main Street special. It’s the shops, restaurants and everything in between.
Paid parking is a practical tool that can help a struggling Main Street recover and ensure it thrives for decades to come.
Matthew Terry was a member of the Citizen-Council Ad Hoc Parking Advisory Committee.
