Handicapped parking bill gets unanimous nod in Assembly

Wednesday, Feb. 12, 1997 | 4:23 a.m.

AB7, sponsored by Assemblyman Mark Manendo, D-Las Vegas, now heads for the Senate. Police unions helped stall a similar bill in the Senate during the 1995 session, but Manendo said he has high hopes this time.

"Public support for this bill has been overwhelming," Manendo said. "Nobody testified against it, the committee passed it unanimously and we had a unanimous vote in the Assembly."

Manendo said he drafted the bill on behalf of a constituent with Lou Gehrig's disease whom he met while campaigning door-to-door. Manendo also said his father is a 100 percent disabled veteran.

"Personally, I'll be very disappointed if this doesn't pass," Manendo said. "A lot of people have put a lot of time and energy into this."

AB7 would allow police crews to train volunteers to patrol parking lots and issue citations to illegally parked vehicles. Two volunteers at a time would patrol, one photographing cars and the other writing tickets.

The volunteers would be trained to be nonconfrontational. If problems arose, police would be called to the scene immediately.

Similar programs have already begun in California, Texas and Florida.

Manendo said the bill helps in two ways: it increases the chance that offenders will be caught, and it allows police to concentrate on other crimes.

"Sure, I'd like it if police would write these citations, but they're just not going to have the time," Manendo said. "They're supposed to be out catching bad guys and trying to control violent crime."