Spartan Daily Vol. 158 March 1, 2022

NAMED NATIONAL FOUR-YEAR DAILY NEWSPAPER OF THE YEAR FOR 2020-21 IN THE COLLEGE MEDIA ASSOCIATION’S PINNACLE AWARDS

Tuesday, March 1, 2022

Volume 158 No. 14

SJSU community members, mall workers protest parking fees

AI BLY | SPARTAN DAILY

Westfield Valley Fair implemented a new parking policy that went into effect Feb. 8 which requires employees to pay $3 per day to park at the garages on site, or $40 per month.

By D’Netrus Chevis-Rose STAFF WRITER

San Jose State students and Westfield Valley Fair mall employees continue to voice concern and discontentment with the mall’s parking fees that went into effect Feb. 8. Customers who park at Valley Fair will not be charged for the first two hours, with the maximum daily rate staying at $10. Employees who work on site are required to pay a discounted daily rate of $3, or $40 a month through passes from the parking office. The “controlled parking plan” formulated by mall officials went into effect to deter commuters who work off site from parking in the parking structures, according to a Westfield Valley Fair statement.

“The controlled parking plan is part of a broader focus on security at Valley Fair,” according to the statement. The parking plan is intended to “limit the parking inconveniences” caused by vehicles left at the garages by individuals who work nearby. Mall officials are aware of concerns from some employees, but hope the controlled parking environment will bring “even more customers to support retailers allowing them to flourish,” according to the statement. SJSU sociology freshman Sergio Gomez was one of the few students who stood outside during his lunch break on Sunday at the Cheesecake Factory to protest the parking fees. Gomez planned to attend a protest that day that was

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canceled because of scheduling conflicts among employees. The protest was the second planned demonstration against the new parking fees, organized

him reconsider his spending barely making right now,” he said. habits because he’s a full-time Several workers also walked student paying for tuition, around the mall Sunday to educate monthly rent for off-campus customers regarding the issue. housing and commuting expenses. Protesters argued that the majority of Valley Fair visitors are affluent South Bay residents who are “unmoved” about paying a dollar-per-hour after the limit’s expiration. An SJSU accounting junior, who chose to remain anonymous to avoid repercussions from the store management, works at Ingrid Tran athletic retail store Lululemon. SJSU alumna They instead of a monthly parking pass, they pay $3 a day to park in the garage. According to Valley Fair’s by the @valleyfairworkerpetition “Whatever I want to do on the website, the monthly parking Instagram page. weekends, now I have to double- pass is part of their controlled The petition more than 1000 think, ‘is that really something parking plan where employers signatures. I should be doing?’ Because of may choose to purchase passes Gomez said the new fee made the amount of money that I’m for their employees, but are not required. The rate for the pass is $40 a month and if not purchased by the employer, individual employees are required to pay. Many stores in the mall are not covering the parking fee for their employees, the source said. SJSU 2019 alumna Ingrid Tran said she believes it’s wrong for employees to be required to pay the mall for a temporary parking space. “I don’t think there should be an additional fee placed upon employees to work, that seems like wage theft to me,” she said. “It just doesn’t seem fair.” Tran said she usually visits the mall three times a month, but doesn’t plan on visiting as frequently because of the fee. “[Visiting the mall] used to be an activity I would do because it wouldn’t cost money, but now that there’s a monetary amount I have to pay to be here, I’m less incentivized to come,” Tran said. “Otherwise I could find other places to go just to be outside that are free.”

I don’t think there should be an additional fee placed upon employees to work that seems like wage theft to me. It just doesn’t seem fair.

San Jose Jazz, a public-benefit organization, hosted its 10th annual “WinterFest” from Feb. 11-27 that included a series of performances by musicians from around The Bay and beyond. Multiple venues hosted shows including the SJZ Break Room, San Jose Jazz’s own performance space located at 310 South First St. “We call it a jazz fest but it’s a wide variety of music,” said Bruce Labadie, San Jose Jazz artistic and festival director. “People love the music . . . they’re paying attention, doing other things.”

Follow D’Netrus on Twitter @dchevisrose