California's “cash-out” law requires certain employers who provide free or subsidized commuter parking to give employees the option to receive money in lieu of their parking space. The law aims to reduce vehicle commute trips and research shows that it works, with many employees willing to take the cash and shift to transit, biking, walking or carpooling to get to work. Washington DC recently passed a similar law that will make it more likely for employers to offer this benefit. However, in California, the applicability of the law is more narrow — many jurisdictions don't think the program applies to enough employees to make enforcement worthwhile — and Santa Monica is the only California city that currently enforces it. But expanding the law into a more robust program could help the state reach its long-term climate goals while providing greater flexibility and benefit to employees. Come learn how lessons from Santa Monica and Washington D.C. could be applied here in the Bay Area to deliver the equity and sustainability benefits of parking cash-out across the region.
+ Henry Hilken / Bay Area Air Quality Management District
+ Cheryl Cort / Coalition for Smarter Growth
+ Donald Shoup / UCLA
+ Colleen Stoll / City of Santa Monica
+ Allen Greenberg / Federal Highway Administration
Co-presented by NRDC.