FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Media Contact
Hawthorne City Manager
4455 W. 126th Street
Hawthorne, CA 90250
(310) 349-2900
HAWTHORNE, Calif., March 3, 2026 – The City of Hawthorne is initiating a Citywide Parking Study, a strategic effort to test parking management tools, address the City's evolving infrastructure needs and bolster economic development through increased parking turnover in front of local storefronts. The pilot program serves as the first of three phases in the broader Citywide Parking Study, which will also include residential preferential parking and commercial corridors.
Following a comprehensive evaluation process, the Public Works Department selected LAZ Parking to manage the City’s on-street paid parking, parking enforcement and revenue collection. Approved by the Hawthorne City Council on December 9, 2025, the agreement leverages LAZ’s extensive municipal experience, advanced parking technologies and strong local presence in the Greater Los Angeles area.
The program is designed to evaluate enforcement and technology while informing a long-term parking strategy. The City will begin installing paystations in various commercial locations by mid-April to manage high-demand curbside parking and encourage better utilization of off-street and median spaces.
The launch of the Citywide Parking Study comes as Hawthorne faces unique parking pressures. In residential neighborhoods, the increase in multigenerational households has led to more vehicles per home, while the conversion of garages into Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs) has further reduced available off-street parking.
“Hawthorne has been experiencing growing demand for on-street parking, particularly in commercial locations where low vehicle turnover means cars are parked for long periods of time without moving,” said Dweejal (DJ) Torado, Associate Traffic Engineer for the Public Works Department. “The pilot program was developed to test parking management tools that will help generate turnover in high-demand areas. This will ensure that our residents, local business customers and visitors have better access to parking while we develop a long-term strategy to improve parking in the City.”
Paystations will be installed at the following locations that experience the most parking pressure:
• Hawthorne Blvd: From El Segundo Blvd to Rosecrans Ave (both curbside and the median)
• Jack Northrop Ave: From Prairie Ave to Crenshaw Blvd.
• 129th and 130th Parking Lots: West of Hawthorne Blvd.
• Jim Thorpe Park: Southeast corner of 139th St and Prairie Ave.
Revenue generated from this program will be deposited into a special parking fund. At this time, these funds are designated exclusively for the purchase, installation and maintenance of paystations, as well as the improvement of public parking facilities and the enforcement of traffic regulations on public streets.
The City values community input and will continue to closely monitor the pilot program as it progresses. Community feedback plays a vital role in shaping effective parking solutions, and there are several ways for residents to share their thoughts and experiences:
• Use the City’s interactive parking map to “drop a pin” at locations experiencing parking issues
• Complete the online parking survey
• Join a parking focus group by submitting an interest form
For questions, concerns or comments, please email pubwks@cityofhawthorne.org. To learn more, visit the Citywide Parking Study webpage
