The Vons Circle Center parking lot, located on Ximeno Avenue and Atherton Street in Long Beach, is now towing cars that don’t belong to customers or employees – namely those that belong to students.
According to Natalie Chavez, the Equity One property manager for the lot, there has always been a parking policy that didn’t allow overnight parking, college parking or residence parking in the lot. Chavez said Vons is now enforcing the policy because employees have had trouble finding parking since the semester started.
The Vons Circle Center is less than two miles away from Cal State Long Beach and adjacent to several apartment complexes where many college students live.
“It’s just gotten way out of hand,” Chavez said. “Students have just taken advantage and filled up the lot.”
Many students who live nearby thought that Vons Circle Center allowed some overnight parking, but Chavez said that is not the case.
“I’m pretty sure that’s a rumor,” she said.
Claudia Balmania, a senior biology education major at CSULB, said she sometimes drives and parks near the school because she doesn’t have a campus parking permit. She said she understands Equity One’s decision to start towing, but it could be hard for students.
“I guess I see why they would do that, but students are on a tight budget,” Balmania said. “It’s messed up on that level.”
Alexander Smith, a senior Asian studies major, said he doesn’t think there’s anything wrong with Vons enforcing their parking policy by towing. However, he said the fact that students are forced to park at Vons in the first place highlights a more serious problem.
“The question is why students have to park [at Vons] when there is no room for parking [on campus],” Smith said.
Chavez said that if security sees someone park in the lot and either cross the street to an apartment or get on a bus, their car will then be towed.
Chavez said that cars will start being towed immediately, and she estimates that a few have been towed already.