Roughly 1,064 tickets have been given out so far this semester, according to the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Dept. of Pierce College, a figure that has drawn mixed responses from students.
The money from citations given out through the year is divided between the state and the school. Last year, according to information from the school’s Administrative Services office, nearly $58, 000 in parking citations were paid to the school, money that went to the college’s General Fund.
“I think that it’s a shame that Pierce College has to earn revenue from the students,” said Robert Lopez, a 20-year-old English major. “It hurts for the students, but even though it hurts it’s for the greater good of the school in general.”
The percentage of the General Fund, according to college officials, is less than one percent; the money that makes it to the school is distributed across campus to pay for daily activity.
“It ultimately shows up at the college,” said Larry Kraus, associate vice president of Administrative Services. “Divide the total dollar amount of money made from citations and divide it by, say, 60 million. That’s the percentage of our budget that comes from parking.”
While citations play a small role in the financing of the college, many students on campus have a negative view of parking and tickets.
“I think that’s just ridiculous, it says a lot about our system,” said Christina Aguilar, an 18-year-old nursing major. Aguilar received a ticket this semester and immediately challenged it in court. “It’s not right that they make money this way, it’s not honest.”
The Sheriff’s station at Pierce makes regular patrols of campus and the parking lots on campus daily, enforcing regulations under the statewide California Vehicle Code.
Penalties under the code include fees charged for parking without a permit, which can cost students a maximum of $60 for repeated offences. None of this money is paid to the Sheriff’s Dept.
“The Sheriff’s Dept. gets nothing out of it,” said Sheriff’s Dept. Ron Nohles. “There’s no quota, we’re not involved in the money, that money goes to the school.”
Some students choose to avoid parking altogether, like Edward Read, a 33-year-old English major. “I park down the street because my friend told me he got a ticket, so I just park outside [campus],” said Read. “It’s really difficult to find parking, and you have to pay for those expensive permits on top of it all. I just don’t bother.”
