Students parking illegally in the school’s parking lots are facing hefty fines and penalties if ignored. Any cars found parked illegally by security will receive a $53 fine. Campus Security checks all the lots for permits a few days every week and average about 15-20 tickets a day according to campus supervisor Gene Morris. 

Students have three lots: one behind the football field and two in the back of the school. These lots are open to any grade and are not officially separated by grade lots according to administrative assistant Fernanda Urmenta. If a student has a parking permit, then they’re eligible to park there. 

Parking permits are free. Applicants must attend a Start Smart class with a parent, which is held on campus in K-1 every month. They must have a valid California licence, and car registration. Students must place a sticker on their car to park in the student lots legally. 

This task seems easy, yet many students refuse to get a permit, and it results in receiving  tickets, “Because students don’t want to go through the hassle of going to the class or coming to the office and getting their sticker,” Urmenta said. 

Without a permit, students can park on Titan Way. However, students cannot park on Riparian from 8-10 a.m, as they risk being towed or fined. 

    But if students continue to illegally park in the student lots without paying the fine, then they can face getting their registration revoked. 

Campus security has been going out to these lots every day to ticket cars. 

“They already got eight today,” campus supervisor Justine Valdez said at lunch one day last week. “Our security is fully enforcing this rule and even warning students of the consequences through the morning announcements.” 

Supervisors do not enjoy giving citations.

 “I’d rather never write a ticket, because I don’t want to write kids’ tickets. But if everyone just followed the rules and got a parking permit, I wouldn’t have to,” Morris said.