In the last issue of the El Vaquero [was] an article about a “new policy” regarding towing vehicles that are stacked and not removed prior to 4:30 p.m. This is not a new policy and has been in place for several years now.

The GCC Police wishes to clarify that as of yet, not one vehicle has been towed or ticketed for not being retrieved on time.

Additionally, the GCC Police continues to encourage students to pick up their keys before 4:30 p.m. The stacked parking system is meant to provide maximum parking during peak parking hours.

After 3:00 p.m., parking availability greatly improves as there are not many classes scheduled in the afternoon. This break before the evening rush provides students ample time to retrieve their keys or relocate their cars to a free lot.

Below are additional details about the stacked parking procedures currently in place and some different scenarios of what is taking place.

When a student leaves their car to be stacked, they are given a quarter sheet of paper, informing them of the stacked parking program conditions, and told by the parking attendants that they must pick up their car by 4:30 p.m.

Some students don’t have parking permits and just pay the meters. When the attendants have to stack cars without a parking permit, the student is charged 50 cents an hour and must pay the attendants when they pick up their car. Some students are not returning before 4:30 p.m. to retrieve their keys.

When this happens the attendants drop the student’s keys off at the GCC Police station. When these students pick up their keys, they are given a quarter sheet of paper, informing them of the stacked parking program conditions and that there is a possibility that their car may be ticketed or towed.

This is probably where the issue of ticketing and towing cars has come from. This policy of handing out the half sheet has been in effect since we began stacking cars over 3 years ago.

Due to the current construction, parking has become more inconvenient. However we now have more parking availability than ever before because we are stacking cars in all the lots.

The GCC Police has not ticketed or towed any student’s vehicles for not picking up their keys. Attendants stop stacking after 3 p.m. because there are open spaces at that time. The attendants only hand out keys from 3 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. and collect payment from students who choose to pay the meters and don’t have a parking permit. Every effort is made to move student’s vehicles into open stalls if they haven’t returned by 4:30 p.m.

However, students that choose not to buy parking permits, and leave their cars in the lots after 4:30 p.m., do run the risk of receiving a citation from the City of Glendale when their cars are moved into a metered spot. It is up to these students who choose not to buy a parking permit to retrieve their keys before 4:30 p.m. and either pay the meters or move their cars to free lot.

— Nidal Kobaissi

Beginning June 12, Lot 32 will revert back to staff parking from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. until the fall semester begins.

Students will have ample
parking during the summer in Lots B, 30, 31, 33, 34 and the Civic Structure parking lot.