When Measure 82, a transportation reform, passed in spring 2025, Ph.D. student and Voices for Empowerment and Safety in Transportation (VEST) commissioner Jerry Hernandez was one of many students filled with a newfound sense of hope.
“It felt like a historical moment. It showed students that we do have agency and that the student governance model can work if we put ourselves out there and we showcase that we can make change,” Hernandez said.
The passed measure establishing VEST, stands as a milestone bringing the student body and Transportation and Parking Services (TAPS) together to work as a collective.
When TAPS announced at the start of this year a proposal for a parking price increase — which would immediately increase costs by 7-10 percent with a continual percentage rise over the next five years — Hernandez described his fears of going back to square one.
“VEST showed the administration that we as a student body are wanting to work as a collective and we feel like we need to have a voice at the table,” Hernandez said. “I think on that side it was very hopeful. [But] I don’t think there was anything that changed.”
In response to the TAPS Parking Price Increase (PPI), the Academic Senate’s Committee on Faculty Welfare (CFW) published a resolution, urging TAPS to “immediately suspend” the PPI.
The validity of the PPI is brought into question in the resolution, as the CFW claims that TAPS did not consult the Advisory Committee on Transportation and Parking services (ACCTP), Committee of Planning and Budget, nor CFW ahead of the proposed price increase.
“The Senate’s concerns regarding the TAPS PPI are twofold: the drastic substance of these changes and their potential impacts on our campus community, and a breakdown in the Senate consultation process,” the resolution reads.
According to the UC Santa Cruz website’s description of the ACCTP, this governing board is allotted a seat at the table when discussing “annual updates to the 10-Year Plans for both parking and transit, along with any associated fee and fare proposals necessary to support those plans.”
Alongside this persisting lack of communication, the CFW’s resolution also outlines concerns regarding the implementation of Automated License Plate Recognition (ALPR) on campus. ALPR employs dozens of cameras that collect driver’s data, such as their names and license plate numbers. This information is then sent to a database that verifies whether the vehicle is registered under a valid permit on campus.
In addition to concerns raised about ALPR cameras themselves, the CFW is apprehensive of the university’s budgetary justification for implementing the cameras. According to the TAPS website, ALPR was implemented for campus affiliates and guests to easily obtain parking permits, and to aid campus sustainability goals.
Although, according to the resolution, Ed Reiskin also justified the implementation as “cost-effective” in an email to the CFW. This is not outlined on the public website.
“This proposed justification begs further questions about the value and sustainability of the ALPR program, such as 1) how much has the switch to plate readers actually saved the campus, and 2) if ALPR has cut costs, why are more funds needed to support the program going forward?,” the resolution reads.
City on a Hill Press reached out to TAPS Director Dan Henderson, Associate Vice Chancellor of Risk and Safety Clement Stokes, and Assistant Vice Chancellor Scott Hernandez-Jason, to better understand two points of concern:
- What circumstances would cause the PPI to NOT go into effect on July 1, 2026?
- If the implementation of ALPR has alleviated the budget.
Despite following up twice via email, the three administrative members did not respond.
According to the TAPS website, The PPI is designed to “expand parking capacity while advancing campus sustainability and budgetary goals” citing factors such as inflation and debts servicing from the building of Core West Parking structure.
“Additional costs to TAPS are anticipated to be approximately $5.2 million over the next six years. After not increasing parking permit rates for eight years, these additional costs contribute to the need for a rate increase,” the PPI reads.
Faculty and Student Unity
Despite UCSC students paying the highest transportation fees out of all the UCs, students will continue to face increased prices for their parking permits. In addition to parking permit increases, electric vehicle drivers will pay 4 percent more to charge on campus, and some faculty will pay more than double the amount for annual bus passes.
Jerry Hernandez, a sitting VEST commissioner, spoke about how the issues of transportation and safety are not confined to students.
“This is also something that goes beyond the student scope,” he said. “This is also where we need the staff and the faculty with us as well, because we need to be one unified force to talk with the administration and show that all of us are here sharing a common goal.”
