A new California law has changed the renewal process for disabled parking permits in an effort to crack down on the misuse of the blue placards.
“Around San Luis, it's really not bad," said Sue Wood, San Luis Obispo resident. "I can usually find handicapped parking. My sister lives in Orange County and it's hard to find them there."
“Through the years, I have witnessed it even in the public but all the more now that I am transporting clients," said Kendra Gomez, a ResCare instructional aid.
Gomez works with community members who have disabilities in San Luis Obispo County.
Part of her job includes providing transportation and she says she often sees people who aren’t supposed to park in the blue zones using those spaces.
“It is frustrating, you know, because for me, it's a matter of safety first and foremost for my clients," Gomez said. "It's not safe to have to park, you know, clear across the parking structure when we could be close."
For many drivers in California, their disabled parking placards will expire on June 30.
For those who have had the placard for six years or more, there will be an extra step they'll need to complete this year in order to keep their permit valid.
“There's a Senate bill that's in effect, Senate Bill 611," said Steve Gordon, DMV California Department director. "What the SB 611 wanted us to do is to make sure we revalidate the people that are participants in the program."
People with permanent disabled person parking, or DPP, who have had their placards for six or more years will need to provide the DMV with their signature.
“What’s new here is the renewal cycle is the same," Gordon explained. "So, we're still going to send out placards and replacement placards every two years, but what's new about this process is that every six years that you've held a placard, we're now going to be asking you to just re-attest that you are still with us, you still need the placard and so on."
Everyone else in the program that's not on the six-year cycle will automatically get the placards.
Gordon says in the state of California, they started with 2 million people and now have around 600,000 people that still need to take action.
The DMV says the process is simple. The primary form the DMV is asking people to complete can be submitted through the mail or online. DMV officials are recommending not to go in person to a field office.
You can learn more on the DMV's website.
