THE WEEK THAT MADE HISTORY......... Page 3


SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 14, 2024

VOLUME 18 NO. 37VOLUME 18 NO. 37

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CITY AMENDS PARKING 
CODE TO INCLUDE TRAILERS

By Kevin McGuire

The City Council returned from summer 
break on Tuesday, September 10, and 
returned to business. Among the topics 
tackled during their three-hour, 30-minute 
meeting was the first reading of Ordinance 
No. 1474, which regulates the parking of 
recreational and commercial vehicles and 
trailers in residential districts. 

Sierra Madre Police Captain Henry Amos 
gave a brief presentation on this item 
based on a report by City Attorney Aleks 
Giragosian. Here are the highlights. 

The new Ordinance would introduce 
amendments to the Sierra Madre 
Municipal Code (SMMC) in Chapter 
10.04 (Definitions) and Chapter 10.24 
(Stopping, Standing, and Parking) of Title 
10 (Vehicles and Traffic). 

Residents' main concerns are that trailers 
and commercial and recreational vehicles 
reduce roadway space for motorists. The 
city has many smaller streets in which 
larger vehicles occupy multiple parking 
spaces. This can also affect drivers' 
vision as they approach intersections and 
driveways, temporarily making them blind 
to traffic ahead. According to Captain 
Amos, many complaints concerned the 
addition of trailers and campers. 

This isn’t the first attempt to address these 
issues. In 2020, the City Council adopted 
Ordinance No. 1426, regulating the parking 
of recreational and commercial vehicles 
in residential districts. However, the city 
continued to receive code enforcement 
complaints regarding unlawfully parked 
commercial and recreational vehicles. 

According to a city staff report, when 
contacted by the City’s Code Enforcement 
Officer, the owners of unlawfully parked 
vehicles often cite ambiguities in the 
SMMC for their failure to abide. 

City Staff has recommended that SMMC 
be amended to clarify the definition of a 
“recreational vehicle,” to add a definition 
for a “trailer, commercial vehicle, and an 
oversized commercial and recreational 
vehicle,” and to regulate the parking of 
such trailers and vehicles. 

According to the SMMC, a "Recreational 
vehicle" means a wheeled vehicle built 
on a chassis that can be towed, hauled, 
or driven and is primarily designed for 
hauling, recreation, vacation, and travel 
use. This includes, but is not limited 
to, utility trailers, travel trailers, truck 
campers, tent trailers, pick-up campers, 
camping trailers, and self-propelled motor 
homes with or without state vehicular 
registration.

This amendment to Ordinance No. 1474 
clarifies that an oversized commercial 
or recreational vehicle and trailer may 
only be parked on a city street for loading 
or unloading property or performing a 
service to a property within 100 feet. This 
would mean vehicles such as buses or 
delivery vehicles that park temporarily to 
unload, not those with the 72-hour permit 
parking. 

The term “commercial” doesn’t refer to 
all vehicles with a commercial license. For 
example, Councilmember Edward Garcia 
pointed out that he has a pickup truck with 
a commercial license, but he doesn’t drive 
it as part of his job. 

Violations and Code Enforcement 

According to Code Enforcement Officer 
Greg Silva, the city receives four to six 
monthly complaints about oversized 
recreation vehicles taking up multiple 
parking spaces in the community. Many of 
these vehicles include a trailer hitched to 
the back. Officer Silva stated that trailers 
include campers, utility trailers, boat 
trailers, and “any other type of trailer.” 

Officer Silva cited a particular incident on 
Auburn Avenue in which a resident with 
a motorcycle trailer challenged a code 
violation because “motorcycle trailer” was 
not included in the Chapter’s definition 
as it was not connected to a recreation 
vehicle. 

Most violations occur on smaller streets in 
the city, not on main roads such as Sierra 
Madre Blvd., where overnight parking for 
large commercial and recreational vehicles 
is available and will not be affected by 
these amended changes. 

SIERRA MADRE PUBLIC 
LIBRARY GROUND BREAKING 
CEREMONY 

SEPTEMBER 17, 2024, 

11:00 AM

SIERRA MADRE, CA,

You’re invited to embark on a new 
chapter with the Sierra Madre 
Public Library!

The Sierra Madre Public Library is turning 
a new page, and you can do more than read 
about it by attending the Ground Breaking 
Ceremony. Enjoy speeches, conversation, and 
refreshments as we say goodbye to the old and 
embrace the new! This event is happening 
Tuesday, September 17 at 11:00 AM in the 
parking lot of the soon-to-be renovated 
Library at 440 W Sierra Madre Blvd.

Meet local dignitaries, the architecture 
firm TSK Architects, the construction 
management firm Vertex Engineering and 
share stories and conversations about this 
building’s 69 years of history.

The Library Meaningful Improvement 
Project is funded by $10.6M in state and 
federal grants. All funds must be expended 
by March 31, 2026. The renovation of the 
Library at 440 W Sierra Madre Blvd. includes 
a 5,000 square foot expansion, an additional 
south facing entrance, updating the building 
for seismic and ADA, and updating the 
Library grounds. For more information 
on the Library Meaningful Improvement 
Project, please look at our transparency page: 
https://www.cityofsierramadre.com/cityhall/
city_manager_s_office/transparency/
library_survey

We’ll see you at the Library!

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Company, Equal Housing Opportunity. Owned by a subsidiary of NRT LLC. Broker does not guarantee the accuracy of square footage, lot size, 
or other information concerning the condition or features of property provided by seller or obtained from public records or other sources, and the 
buyer is advised to independently verify the accuracy of that information through personal inspection and with appropriate professionals. If your property is currently 
listed for sale, this is not intended as a solicitation.
Time to sell...and go?
626.484.8135Barbara.Rogers@camoves.comwww.Barbara.Rogers.comCRE#01169115RBarbara Rogers626.278.0187Eileen.Benson@camoves.comwww.EileenBenson.com 
CRE#01880650BEileen Benson
InSIDE THIS WEEK

Sierra Madre News Pages 1 - 4

THE WEEK THAT MADE HISTORY

Pasadena/Altadena Page 5

Around SGV Page 6

Education & Youth Page 7

Puzzles For You Page 8

Food - Wine & Fun Page 9

Best Friends Page 10

Good Life Page 11

Opinion Page 12

Legal Notices Page 13

Sports and Fitness Page 14

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