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# Free parking in city on Thursdays starts this month
- URL: https://www.smdp.com/free-parking-in-city-on-thursdays-starts-this-month/
- Published: 2002-04-01T16:00:00.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-23T00:12:37.000Z
- Author: Guest Author
- Tags: Government & Politics, Santa Monica, #archive-import

*By A. FIXTURE Daily Planet Slave*

With double the amount of parking enforcement on the horizon, the city council voted unanimously last week to have parking free for every man, woman and child each Thursday.

From this moment on, parking at all city meters, parking lots and side streets on every Thursday will be free.

Council moaners said while they want to crack down on illegal parking, they also want Slanta Monica to retain its easy-going and fun atmosphere.

“Free Parking Thursdays will let people know that even though we are merciless when it comes to writing parking tickets, we at least have a sense of humor,” council moaner Wolf Blintzer said April 1, a traditional day for pranks.

> “Free Parking Thursdays will let people know that even though we are merciless when it comes to writing parking tickets, we at least have a sense of humor.” — — WOLF BLINTZER Council moaner

The free parking also will bring outsiders into the city for a day of shopping at local stores and eating at downtown restaurants, officials said.

“Parking is the number one complaint we hear from shoppers,” said Candy McPhearson, a member of Slanta Monicans for Consumer Rights. “Now they won’t have to worry about whether they put a coin in the meter or if they double parked their Jag on their way into The Smottery Urn. This is a very cutting edge idea.”

Officials said they chose Thursday because parking is already free on Sundays and it sounded better than Free Parking Fridays or Free Parking Wednesdays.

“We want to encourage people to drive their cars as much as possible so we can condition them into relying on their car all the time,” said Councilman Kev McKonan. “Then, once they are conditioned, we’ll snag ‘em with our beefed up parking enforcement the rest of the days.”

Many residents said the free parking on Thursday would plunge the city into complete chaos.

“Um, I don’t think that’s fair because I live here and I should get better treatment than some outsider,” said Douglass Geezer. “Now nobody will be able to find parking on Thursdays.”

Other residents thought free parking wouldn’t help them.

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/55/9f/559f9abc-8372-4a2e-8c2d-27386da4e363/content/images/2026/10/040102-14_01.jpg)

*Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on April 1, 2002.* [Read the original PDF.](https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/smdp%5Fbackissues/040102.pdf?ref=smdp.com)