Shelly Welcome, San Juan Capistrano
The current San Juan Capistrano City Council voted against the students of San Juan Capistrano when they voted to bar students and parents from parking on Camino Lacouague during school hours. Lacouague is the only place for off campus public parking near San Juan Hills High School, San Juan Capistrano’s public high school. Lacouague is a public street, and we all pay taxes for the upkeep and safety of it. The residents of the gated communities that are on either side should not have jurisdiction over this street.
No student is parking in front of any home on Lacouague. It does not impact parking for the residents of any of the gated communities. The houses are behind walls on either side of this street.
When San Juan Hills High School first opened, some residents of these gated communities attempted to keep the trail from Lacouague up to SJHHS closed and prevent the children of San Juan Capistrano from walking to school. Some sought to prevent San Juan Capistrano residents from dropping off their children on Lacouague, a public street.
But many residents of these communities worked to get permission from the school district and a former SJC City Council to open this pathway to all students. A former SJC City Council and the school district agreed on this because it benefitted the children of San Juan Capistrano.
The double parking, safety issues and others traffic issues are not caused by student parking but parents picking up their children. If parents adhered to the parking laws there would be no traffic issues. If the city is so concerned about safety then they should have enforced the former traffic laws. Instead they add new laws that cater to a few. The current City Council did this at the expense of the children of San Juan Capistrano.
The majority of students who park there are from San Juan Capistrano. They do not park there so they can skip class. Students park there so they can go to school. Students park there to save money, for grades, or for convenience.
Public streets should be kept public, especially when parking on them does not impact or prevent parking for residents of the gated communities.
This current City Council has now prevented not only students, but hikers and bicyclists and parents and all San Juan Capistrano residents from parking their cars to walk and bike the local trails. It is taking away public access to these trails. The city council catered to special interests.
We are a community, and instead of making it harder for the children of San Juan Capistrano, we should all be working together to make it better. It takes a village. Keep public spaces open for all, not just the few.
