90 Minutes or Less
Jonathan Avalos, April 04, 2024
Photo Courtesy of KSBW
Monterey’s Alvarado Street
Monterey’s Alvarado street is one of the most well known streets along with Cannery Row in the city. Filled with amazing restaurants and tourist attractions for all to enjoy, it really is a great place to take the family for 90 minutes or less. With this area being such a large tourist attraction, it makes sense for there to be a parking limit with longer parking available to pay for in a local parking garage. However, what if you are a worker and not a tourist?The large issue with the parking is the lack of free parking available for employees and the option for free validated parking in the garage, and it is becoming an issue for employees and employers alike.
I then interviewed a local server, Jason Meylin of Alvarado Street describing the unsustainable situation he faces “It’s really tough sometimes. I work four eight hour shifts a week so sixteen shifts a month so about two hundred of my earned dollars at work go towards parking just to work. I wish they had an employee area where we can get permits to save us money.” I also asked to speak to the owner but he declined to comment because of the popularity inside of the building at the time and did not respond after further follow up.
Photo Courtesy of SurBurger.com
The owner of the restaurant SUR Burger, Bunly Chen, explained that where she stated, “The parking situation makes it difficult for me as an employer and my employees. Their four hour shifts cost roughly seven dollars in parking and their eight hour shifts twelves dollars. It makes me feel as if I have to compensate them on top of their hourly rate for the parking because of the money they spend every month just to work.”
This is a larger issue plaguing more than the two businesses I was able to get into contact with, with Alvarado Street having over twenty plus businesses with most of them being local business owners who employ hundreds of locals as well. With full time employees having to pay about $240 to park at their job, they have begun discussing their options. A group of employees have started trying to get together a petition to bring up at the soon at a Monterey City council meeting. They are proposing a way to validate parking for employees in the parking garage so they don’t have to pay to park where they work anymore. They think this is a win-win solution in their eyes because the tourist who should be the main target of paying for parking would still have to pay for parking while the workers who provide for the tourist will be able to do so without having to pay to do their jobs.
This is still a developing situation that I can hopefully continue to update on with it being a very important topic for tourists and employees alike at Alvarado Street.
This is a Jonathan Avalos publication and should not be used without permission and is for educational purposes only .
© California State University Monterey Bay
Seaside, CA 93955
