Chabot-Las Positas Community College District Administration Procedure AP6750 states that “full time and regular part time faculty, staff and managers parking permits will be digitally assigned to vehicle license plates.”
”Parking permits will be issued to students upon payment of a prescribed fee”. The current fee is $45 per semester,
Not only do faculty and staff get free parking but also student government officers get free parking. Students and visitors are the only people paying for parking.
In January 2025 Student Government presented a resolution for all student government members to receive free parking permits.
This means that most students pay for parking while faculty members, staff and student government officers currently do not pay for parking. Faculty and staff receive salaries and benefits, student government officers receive a stipend, most students have no income from the college.
Vanessa Alaniz, Sports Medicine Major said. “So I think students who pay tuition should not pay for parking. We should get a pass for parking but I do agree that visitors who come to campus. They should be the ones to pay.”
Students already pay a student health fee ($21), a Student representation fee ($2), a transportation fee ($8 or $9 depending on units taking) and a student activities fee ($10). A student can opt out for the activity fee but the others are mandatory. Many students also pay tuition. A parking fee adds to the expense.
Mission college in Santa Clara provides students parking permits free of charge. Cal State East Bay charges faculty for parking. Per the Cal State East Bay website: “Since parking permits are a fee for usage, everyone that parks on campus must pay their fair share. Otherwise, our students end up paying a disproportionate share of parking fees. (bold added) This spreads the costs over a wider base of fee payers, thereby preventing student fees from increasing even more.”
Another issue with the current parking permit system is you register your car by your license plate. If for some reason you use a different car such as a loaner from a garage, your parking permit does not transfer, one needs to purchase a daily parking pass. You can register two cars on one pass if you know the second car you might use but not possible with a loaner, rental or other vehicle you don’t know in advance you might use.
A few years ago the college slogan was “Students First” it appears that when it comes to parking, students are last.
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TOP PHOTO: A generation of children who endured the pandemic are still feeling the impact of COVID. (Illustration by Aaliyah Gholamipour / Special to The Express)
Alan Lewis is a staff writer and photographer for The Express. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter @AlanLew89343503.
