By Jorge Casuso

June 25, 2026 -- In an unprecedented move, the City Council on Tuesday voted to create a preferential parking zone to protect residents of a dead-end street from a masked, apparently mentally ill man.

The zone -- which covers Larkin Place, a curving, secluded street on Santa Monica's north side -- was implemented as a last resort since there was no cause to arrest the man, who lives in a Toyota Prius parked there at night, City officials said.

The individual "will drive on the street and put on a mask and proceed to intimidate residents," said City Manager Oliver Chi, who added that the City "tried a number of different enforcement mechanisms" to address the issue.

In the end, City staff suggested that residents could petition to create a preferential parking zone, a controversial policy that has been used for decades to restrict parking on residential streets near businesses during open hours.

Every resident along the two-block stretch of Larkin Place -- on the north of San Vicente Boulevard between 9th and 11th streets – signed the petition, which officials deemed the "best and most practical response to the circumstance," Chi said.

After voting to forego a report from staff on a situation they were familiar with from the ongoing complaints, Council members expressed concerns before unanimously voting to approve the zone.

"What happens if he goes to the next street?" asked Councilmember Barry Snell. "I hope we don't have to address another street that he goes to."

"As a matter of policy," Councilmember Ellis Raskin said, "I'm not in favor of preferential parking. You grant one, you can't stop granting them."

"I agree there's a fundamental problem with many of our parking zones," said Councilmember Jesse Zwick, adding that the City should look at streets with preferential parking that is not needed.

Zwick said streets in some preferential zones in single family neighborhoods sit empty, while nearby businesses need parking.

For Larkin Place, staff recommended "regulations focused specifically on the overnight period rather than broader daytime parking restrictions" that apply to most preferential parking zones.

The City’s preferential parking ordinance, staff noted, gives the Council "broad legislative discretion in determining whether the reported conditions warrant establishment of a preferential parking zone."

The zone on Larkin Place will be implemented within eight to ten weeks of the Council's approval, staff said.