Lynwood waives parking fees for eligible veterans

LYNWOOD - Military veterans who reside in Lynwood or who are visiting the city will soon be exempt from paying parking meter fees now that the Lynwood City Council has decided to follow in the footsteps of the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors by adopting a new ordinance that allows all military veterans with a special license plate to be exempt from paying parking meter fees throughout the city.The Board of Supervisors on Nov. 7, 2012 adopted a motion to encourage cities and town councils throughout the county to adopt an ordinance that exempts military veterans with special recognition license plates from paying metered parking. Under Assembly Bill 190, authored in 2008 by then Assembly Member Karen Bass to honor the sacrifice and commitment of the many thousands of men and women who have served in our nation's military, military veterans displaying special plates on their vehicles with either "Pearl Harbor Survivor," "Legion of Valor," "Former American Prisoner of War (POW)," "Congressional Medal of Honor," and "Purple Heart," will be exempt from having to pay parking meter fees. Under Lynwood's new ordinance exempting military veterans from paying metered parking fees, any veteran displaying special military license plates may park his or her vehicle, weighing not more than 6,000 pounds gross weight, without charge in any of the city's approximate 250 metered parking spaces. The new ordinance will not exempt vehicles displaying special license plates from being in compliance with any other state law or ordinance, including, but not limited to, vehicle height, restrictions, zones that prohibit stopping, parking, or standing of all vehicles, parking time limitations, street sweeping, restrictions of the parking space to a particular type of vehicle, or the parking of a vehicle that is involved in the operation of a street vending business. The new ordinance was given final approval by the City Council and will take effect this month.

********** Published: March 7, 2013 - Volume 11 - Issue 47