Parking is a common annoyance for the students of Pierce College, who pay up to $27 a semester for parking privileges that most other students in the Los Angeles Community College District (LACCD) enjoy for $20.
The ASO Preferred pass allows students to park in all lots, over the $20 Restricted permit that allows students to park only in Lot 4 on El Rancho Drive and in dirt overflows on campus.
Students of Pierce’s sister schools pay less for their permits because their student governments don’t tack an additional fee to their parking permits.
A lower price for permits might encourage more students to buy permits, avoiding the $30 penalty for being caught without one.
“The parking on this campus is no reason to give students tickets that steep. They should serve sandwiches instead,” said Guy Caman, a 40-year-old music composition major. “What with the economy being so bad students can’t afford tickets that big when their financial aid doesn’t even come through. Don’t make money off the students.”
Caman has purchased the $27 ASO (Associated Students Organization) Preferred parking permit every semester of his five years at Pierce.
The ASO claimed not to have any knowledge about the additional $7 ASO fee when asked about it Monday.
The Pierce sheriff’s station patrols the campus 24-hours a day, seven days a week in eight-hour shifts. Officers begin to enforce parking regulations (such as permits) after a beginning-of-semester grace period of roughly three weeks.
Students who do not purchase a parking permit alone can be charged a minimum of $30 and a maximum of $60, under section 21113a of the California Vehicle Code.
Parking citations can be appealed by submitting a Parking Administration Review form, available for download from the Sheriff’s website.
Masood Hashimi, a 21-year-old accounting major, sees no issue with the cost of permits.
“A permit is $27,” said Hashimi. “A ticket is, what, $35? It just seems easier to buy the permit.”
Sheriff’s deputies offer this advice to students who forget to pay for permits. “Be prepared to get a ticket. It’s that simple.”
“The parking isn’t as strict here as it is other places, but it isn’t as good,” said Anthony Gonzalez, a 20-year-old aerospace engineering major. Gonzalez took the year off from attending the University of California, San Diego to save money, and now attends Pierce part-time.
“To be honest, I’ve parked here without a permit and haven’t gotten a ticket. It’s a smaller patrol force out here so they have to work harder to keep things in line,” he said.
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