A Look Back

Jerry Person

The other day 5th Street businessman Mike Morgan pulled up in his

brand new Ford F-150 pickup and parked at the meters on Main Street.

After a while I noticed Mike step outside of Rockin’ Fig’s surf shop

to check the meters.

Over the years I’ve watched the meter rates rise from taking a penny

to taking only quarters and from starting at 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. to today’s

time limit of 6 a.m. to midnight.

So this week I thought it would be interesting to see what thebusiness

owners thought about the parking meters in 1952.

Before 1952 to change the rates, the City Council would have had to

amend the parking ordinance and that required a public hearing and a lot

of time.

But in February 1952 the council instructed City Attorney Charles

Bauer to prepare an amendment to make future changes by resolution so it

could take effect immediately.

The parking issue came about because the police were issuing an

exorbitant number of tickets to both residents and visitors and the

town’s business community became alarmed at the increase in the number of

tickets being issued to its customers.

So what’s changed? And how did the business owners and employees feel

about the parking meters?

The Huntington Beach Chamber of Commerce wanted the hours changed

during the winter months to 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Tom Talbert of Talbert Realty, 219 Main St., who was on the council at

the time, wanted the meters removed from Oct. 1 to June 1.

Bob DeBritton, of Standard Market at 226 Main St., wanted the parking

meters removed along Walnut Avenue and instead have a one hour limit.

Ted Bartlett, of Bartlett Hancock Station at 303 Main St., wanted a

common sense approach taken by the police.

John Parnakian, of Modern Furniture at 328 Main St., wanted the

parking meters removed in favor of a one hour parking limit.

Oscar Myhre, of Myhre Stationary at 116 Main St. wanted free parking

in the months of January, February and March.

Herb Wood, the Barber at 201 5th St. wanted off-street parking and for

the police to use more diplomacy when issuing tickets.

Clarence Williamson, who ran Williamson Variety Store at 114 Main St.

thought the meters drove away business.

Then again, Ed Stang over at the Southern Calif. Water Co. at 220 Main

St. thought the meters were just fine as they were.

Jack Robertson of Robertson Mens & Boys Shop at 115 Main St. liked the

meters as they were, but not how the police were ticketing his customers.

Andrew Shandrick who ran the Clark Hotel at 228 Main St. thought the

city should do like some cities do on the East Coast and have free

parking from 11 a.m. to noon and from 4 to 5 p.m.

Ray Brown, a local area farmer, had no solution to the parking issue.

Barrell Ries from H.B. Auto Supply at 210 Main St. thought the city

should do a study of off-street parking for future use.

Everett Crosby of Crosby Music Store at 215 Main St. thought the

ticketing was hurting Downtown business.

Frank Bray, who owned Bray’s Food Center at 218 Main St. wanted the

parking meters to stay on Main Street, but the police to use a little

more diplomacy when giving tickets.

Ed Davis at Eastside Market at 408 Frankfort St. would have liked to

see the city put complimentary tickets on the meters.

Willis Warner from Warner Hardware at 112 Main St. felt the meters

were all right, but would like to see the hours changed in the winter

months.

Roy Bryant of Bryant Dodge Agency at 401 Main St. favored the meters

in the summertime but not in the winter.

Post office clerk Martin Wierman thought the only reason the city kept

the meters was for the money it generated.

Lifeguard Hollis B. Carr felt the one hour limit on 5th Street was bad

and would like to see two hours instead.

Les Cline of Cline Mens Wear at 214 Main St. thought if the ticketing

continued Huntington Beach would be a ghost town and if free parking were

given, the merchants and their employees would hog it all.

But it was Bill Gallienne who summed up the issue best when he stated

that “parking will always be a problem here.” And that applies to parking

here today.

But I think Wierman got it right when he simply stated that it was all

about the money. And if you talk to today’s business people you would get

the same answers.

* JERRY PERSON is a local historian and longtime Huntington Beach

resident. If you have ideas for future columns, write him at P.O. Box

7182, Huntington Beach, CA 92615.