Editors notebook

Danette Goulet

I thought they must be crazy when I first heard -- city beach parking

passes were going up to $125 a year.

As a state beach pass holder, who is only to happy to surf Bolsa Chica

for $35 a year, I wondered what they were thinking.

So I asked.

It seems it’s not as bad as I thought. In the past there were two

separate parking passes one could buy from the city. One would get a car

into the city beaches or permit a car to park at the meters along Pacific

Coast Highway. The second was a pass for the city parking structure and

outdoor lots at 5th and 6th streets. Each was $100. This new 2002 pass

will get a car into any of those places all year for $125, which works out to about $10 a month.

That’s not so bad. Considering that if you overstay your hour at a

restaurant, or -- gasp -- forget to get validated you can easily pay $10

a visit in the city parking structure, it’s really not too bad.

If you’re not someone like myself, who is much to lazy to go back for

a validation, perhaps that reasoning doesn’t work for you. So what about

beach parking? There’s no validation for that. If you want to visit the

city beaches you’ll have to either pay or search for one of those rare

and hard to find free spots.

And here’s a bright spot for dog owners -- this pass includes all the

metered spots at dog beach -- that is sure to equal $10 a month right there.

Another criticism I’ve heard of this new pass is that the price goes

down as time passes. If you wait until April, May or June it’s only $100.

In July, August and September it’s only $75. Are we rewarding people for

staying away from the beaches in the winter?

I contend it’s Surf City -- and that is when the waves, if not the

weather, is the best.

Having said all that -- $35 still sounds pretty good to me and I just

love the scavenger hunt for that free spot.

* DANETTE GOULET is the assistant city editor. She can be reached at

(714) 965-7170 or by e-mail at o7 danette.goulet@latimes.comf7 .