Employee parking permits go into effect in Los Gatos

Employees who work in downtown Los Gatos can now use parking permits from the town during working hours.

The Los Gatos Downtown Employee Permit Parking program, which was one of many changes made to address the parking congestion downtown, went into effect July 14, following four nights of overnight construction to install signage and stall markings.

The program gives workers a place to park for the entirety of their shift and “keep employees from parking in spaces intended for visitors.”

Mia Celestre, who works at Pizza My Heart, said many of her coworkers applied for the permits and supported the idea.

“Most of us think it’s good because a lot of times, it’s hard for us to find parking… because it gets really busy at times,” Celestre said. “We need to find a place where we can park and not get a ticket because we’re here for long hours, not just the three-hour limit that they usually have for the parking lot.”

Parking downtown has been a challenge. Consultants hire by the town in 2019 to improve the parking experience found that most employees had been parking in high-demand lots and moving their vehicles a few spaces over throughout their shifts to avoid citations.

This shuffling of employee cars in high-demand areas and overall parking congestion catalyzed the new program

Nearly 500 parking spaces downtown were converted into employee parking spots. Staff said more than 800 employees and businesses had applied for the permits as of March 15.

The permits are digital and do not require a display badge.

Aline Davy, owner of Fleur de Cocoa, said her business has a lot of seasonal workers, short-term employees and student workers who rotate in and out of the bakery.

She said the permits are “kind of annoying” and she just found out July 12 that her employees needed to get them.

“I have employees that are teenagers, high school or college (students), so by the end of two or three months they are leaving and I have to hire more people,” Davy said. “The one that did apply for the permit in January… they are not working here anymore.”

Workers can apply for the free parking permit for six months to a year during the pilot program. After that, it’s not clear what that fee will be, though residential parking permits are $42.

Susan Gutterman, who volunteers at the The Butter Paddle, said she parked in the employee parking lot for the first time on July 13.

“We’re a nonprofit, and we don’t work eight-hour shifts. We work, like, 3 1/2-hour shifts, but I was still having to set an alarm and go out and move my car,” Gutterman said. “So it’s nice just to not have to worry about it, to just park and come in for my shift and not worry about being ticketed.”

Los Gatos town staff also suggested installing pay stations and implementing a mobile app to address parking issues downtown.

“We’re going to need to be able to provide more than three-hour parking for a small number of visitors so they don’t have to move their car,” parking program manager Jim Renelle said at a March City Council meeting. “To do that, we’re going to need to develop a town ordinance that will allow us to charge for parking.”

Residents can register for a permit at www.losgatosca.gov/2025/Parking-Traffic.