Beverly Hills Patch
Earlier this week, the city of Beverly Hills thought it had put a halt to efforts to put a two-hour parking initiative on the March 8 ballot. That outcome is no longer clear, thanks to a California Court of Appeal decision. A Los Angeles County Superior Court judge ruled Jan. 4 that Measure 2P, which would require Beverly Hills to increase its free parking period to two hours at most city-owned lots, should be removed from the ballot. But the Court of Appeal late Thursday granted an emergency stay of the earlier decision.
In a special session Tuesday, the City Council unanimously agreed to put a three-hour free parking measure on the March ballot to compete with an existing two-hour proposal. As reported last month, the city was required under state law to allow the two-hour parking initiative a spot on the ballot after proponents gathered enough signatures for it to qualify.
Although it approved an initiative allowing voters to decide the fate of free parking at city-owned lots, the City Council is taking legal action to invalidate the measure. “The city will file a lawsuit within the next few days requesting that the court invalidate the measure and remove it from the March ballot,” City Attorney Larry Wiener told Patch, adding that he is “hopeful” the judge will side with the city.