LOS ALAMITOS, CA — For many juniors and seniors at Los Alamitos High School, school troubles don’t begin in the classroom; simply finding parking in the morning is an ordeal within itself. Los Al allows students to park only if they purchase a permit, which are handed out exclusively to seniors on a first-come-first-serve basis. Unfortunately, parking spots are limited, leaving many seniors on a wait list. Thus, the unlucky drivers scramble for off-campus parking, which can be incredibly inconvenient and even infuriating for some students. Filled-up parking spaces close to the school, coupled with the always frustrating permit-only curbs in nearby neighborhoods forces students to park farther and farther away. This problem occurs year after year. 

Our school is not alone in facing these types of parking problems. Mr. Bowen, who is in charge of parking distribution to both students and staff, has looked at other high schools of similar demographics in search of a workable solution. Specifically, he looked at Fountain Valley High School and Edison High School. They face these problems with drop-off, pick-up, and especially student parking. The heart of all these problems stems from the sheer number of students seeking parking. 

“It’s been very difficult to try and accommodate everyone,” Mr. Bowen said. “I want to say yes to everyone, but it’s just limited what I can offer.” What Mr. Bowen can offer to students in search of parking is a map that highlights all the off-campus parking around the school.

To assess the general student consensus, Griffin Gazette created a poll and asked juniors and seniors to give their honest responses. 305 students responded to the survey. Of those responses, 114 students had permits for the parking lot. Most of these students said that finding a space is not an issue if they show up early enough. However, they have to get to school by 7:30 to 8:00, so they lose the benefit of the new later-starting schedule. 

For students without a permit, most walk 5 to 10 minutes to school from their off-campus parking spot.  A few unfortunate students have to park 20 to 30 minutes away. 

By far, the most common complaint was about the construction of the solar panels. The construction, Mr. Bowen says, may finish anytime from the end of November to the end of the first semester in December. At that time the 135 parking spots currently occupied by the solar panels will be available for student use again. 

However, Mr. Bowen is told that the construction is happening in “phases,” so there will be another stage of solar panel construction that will take up 135 spots, albeit from a different part of the parking lot. Despite this complication, Mr. Bowen says it is possible that the “reasonable number of kids on the waiting list [may be] able to get permits,” so there is hope for some seniors.  

While the poll had been open to both seniors and juniors, only 38.7% of responses were submitted by juniors. Since seniors are given parking pass priority, juniors are left to seek out streets or pay businesses to park. Most of the junior drivers who responded were incredibly frustrated that they do not get an opportunity for a parking permit. While this is inconvenient for juniors, “I have to give seniors priority,” Mr. Bowen reluctantly said. 

Similar to the seniors on the wait list, there is a dim light of hope for juniors. “There’s been a few years in the past where I did have some additional permits… so I’ve done a junior lottery.” Mr. Bowen warns though that this is not a guarantee, only a slight possibility. 

Students and administrators recognize that there is no solution that works for everybody.  Due to the size of the parking lot, it is difficult for a spot to be administered to each student. Many juniors and seniors will have to settle into the routine of navigating the morning traffic and grabbing those coveted parking spots.