(Added by Ord. No. 185,744, Eff. 10/15/18.)
(a) The Department may designate stalls or spaces on a public street or in a publicly owned parking facility in the City of Los Angeles for the exclusive use of charging and parking a vehicle that is connected for electric charging. Electric charging stations installed pursuant to this section shall be exempt from the provisions of Section 62.08 (Specifications and Procedures for Above Ground Facilities Installations in the Public Rights-of-Way) of this Code. Electric charging stations installed on streets and publicly owned parking facilities prior to the adoption of this section shall also be subject to the following provisions: (Amended by Ord. No. 187,630, Eff. 10/31/22.)
(1) It shall be unlawful for a person to park or leave standing a vehicle in a stall or space designated for electric charging on a public street or publicly owned parking facility unless the vehicle is connected for electric charging.
(2) It shall be unlawful for a person to obstruct, block, or otherwise bar access to a parking stall or space designated for electric charging unless the person's vehicle is parked or left standing in the stall or space while the vehicle is connected for electric charging.
(3) Towing. Subject to the notice, posting, and impound requirements set forth in California Vehicle Code Section 22511, any peace officer or any regularly employed and salaried employee of the City who is authorized to engage and is engaged in directing traffic or enforcing parking laws and regulations may remove, or cause to be removed, a vehicle in violation of this section. The vehicle shall be removed to the nearest Official Police Garage, as defined in LAMC Section 80.77.4, from the location where the violation occurred. Section 22852 of the California Vehicle Code applies to this section with respect to the removal of any vehicle in violation of this section. Section 22852 is incorporated by reference as if set forth in full herein and provides, in summary, that whenever an authorized employee of the City directs the storage of a vehicle, the City shall direct the storage operator to provide the vehicle's registered and legal owner(s) of record, or their agent(s), with the opportunity for a post-storage hearing to determine the validity of the storage. Notice of the storage shall be mailed or personally delivered to the registered and legal owner(s) within 48 hours, excluding weekends, as specifically provided for under Section 22852 of the California Vehicle Code. To receive a post-storage hearing, the owner(s) of record, or their agent(s), must request a hearing in person, in writing or by telephone within ten days of the date appearing on the notice. The City may authorize its own officer or employee to conduct the hearing as long as the hearing officer is not the same person who directed the storage of the vehicle.
(b) Violation – Penalties. A violation of this section is subject to the civil penalties listed in Section 89.60 of this Code. The City Council may establish from time to time by resolution an increase in the amount of the fine.
(c) Severability. If any subsection, sentence, clause, or phrase of this section is for any reason held to be invalid or unconstitutional by a court of competent jurisdiction, such decision shall not affect the validity of the remaining portions of this ordinance. The City Council hereby declares that it would have adopted this section, and each and every subsection, sentence, clause and phrase thereof not declared invalid or unconstitutional, without regard to whether any portion of the ordinance would be subsequently declared invalid or unconstitutional.