Parking in Manhattan Beach got more expensive Aug. 1, after the City Council voted July 7 to raise meter rates by $0.50 to $1 per hour and bump citation fees across the board.

The sharpest hit lands on downtown curbside meters along Manhattan Avenue: the summer rate jumped from $2.50 to $4 per hour, a 60% increase. Beach lots at the Pier, El Porto and Bruce's Beach rose from $3.50 to $4 per hour. North Manhattan Beach street meters climbed from $2.50 to $3.

The higher summer rates run May through August. Off-season, downtown curb meters drop to $3.50 per hour. Downtown lots and garages, including Metlox, Civic Center and the Marriott garage, are set at $3 per hour in summer and actually fall to $2 per hour from September through April.

Citations cost more, too

Common tickets for expired meters, street sweeping violations, red-zone parking and blocking a driveway increased from $59 to $65. Fire-lane violations rose from $117 to $123, blocking an intersection from $124 to $130, and disabled-parking violations from $344 to $350. The $38 late-payment penalty stays unchanged.

The city projects the combined changes will generate close to $1 million in new annual revenue: roughly $675,000 from meter increases and $291,000 from higher fines, according to Westside Current.

City officials said the revenue would "fund critical infrastructure needs, including the replacement of aging parking lots." A hypothetical scenario presented to the council estimated replacing Downtown Lot 3's 145 spaces could cost $10.2 million for an above-ground structure or $21 million for a subterranean garage.

No automatic annual hikes

The council rejected a proposal for automatic 10% annual increases over five years, opting instead to review rates periodically, the New York Post reported.

The rate overhaul is part of a broader parking modernization plan that includes replacing traditional meters with pay-by-plate stations and adding ParkMobile options to pay by app, text or phone.

Pushback from residents and business owners

Former Mayor Mark Burton, now a 2026 council candidate, criticized the decision in MB Weekly on Aug. 5, noting that staff presented the council with a dozen revenue-raising recommendations but no savings proposals to address a projected $10.9 million deficit in the fiscal year 2027 budget.

"Our city council is raising taxes and fees once per week and never weakly!" community activist Paul Wafer wrote in the same publication. "We have a spending problem not a revenue problem!"

Restaurateur Michael Zislis called it a "money grab." David Slay of SLAY Hospitality Group said he doesn't oppose a rate increase but wants the city to charge construction workers who park free on Manhattan Avenue and rotate vehicles to avoid tickets.

AVP Manhattan Beach Open adds pressure

The rate hikes arrive just before the AVP Manhattan Beach Open, which runs Aug. 14–16 at the Manhattan Beach Pier with free general admission and premium seating starting at $125. The event draws large crowds to downtown and beach parking areas now subject to the higher rates.

Visitors looking to avoid meters can use the city's MB Wave Rider on-demand electric shuttle for $5 per person, or $2.50 for riders 55 and older. Downtown MB Director Kelly Stroman promoted the service as "a LOT less than a parking ticket."