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SAN JOSE — Gabe Cabrera pulled into the parking lot in a driving rain storm recently when a savior in a black jacket ran up and took his keys, leaving the auditor just steps away from the door to his destination.
But the valet serving Cabrera wasn’t parking cars at a four-star restaurant, hotel or upscale shopping center.
Cabrera was enjoying complimentary valet parking where he works — at the Santa Clara County Government Center on Hedding and First streets.
Santa Clara County recently began offering free valet parking to its employees and the general public for what could be the next four years, at a total cost of up to $4.5 million, compliments of county taxpayers.
Many of those taxpayers will be checking out the service when they drop off their property taxes, which are due Dec. 10. But it’s county workers like Cabrera who are benefiting every day.
“It’s great because there aren’t any parking spaces left at 8 a.m.,” Cabrera said. “There was a time when I parked at the sheriff’s headquarters, but I couldn’t keep doing that because I was worried about getting a ticket.”
The image of government workers getting white-glove service typically found at affluent establishments may rankle some. It’s rare for government agencies to provide that perk to their workers. The county also has valet parking at its public hospital, Valley Medical Center, solely for visitors.
But county officials launched the service the week after Thanksgiving at the civic center in anticipation of two massive construction projects that are expected to disrupt traffic in the area — the demolition of part of the old San Jose City Hall and a new jail project, which requires knocking down an existing tower. The county workforce also has ballooned, forcing workers to waste time hunting for a spot in county lots or the nearby Hyde Park residential area, much to the consternation of residents.
“We’ve exhausted all the other short-term solutions,” said Deputy County Executive Sylvia Gallegos.
Parking industry experts say valet service is typically cheaper than building new parking garages or running a shuttle service from remote lots. In this case, valets will bring the cars to the county-owned parking garage across the street from the jail and also use the big surface lot at Hedding and San Pedro streets where employees currently park.
Valet attendants can park cars closer and straighter than many customers, enabling them to pack more in, said Steve Resnick, a senior vice president who oversees municipal accounts at Lanier Parking Solutions, the contractor running the county service.
“Coast to coast, public agencies are analyzing valet service as an additional and effective” way of managing parking, Resnick said.
But don’t expect other Bay Area cities and counties to jump on the bandwagon anytime soon, especially those with better public transportation options.
Most had never even heard of such a thing.
“You mean, someone drives up to city hall and gets a valet?” Oakland spokeswoman Karen Boyd said. “No, we don’t have anything like that.”
Oakland’s 5,000 full- and part-time employees pay for parking, she said. In Boyd’s case, it’s $130 a month at a garage four blocks away from City Hall.
Asked if San Jose had valet service downtown at City Hall for its 2,000 workers, the spokeswoman for city manager’s office laughed.
“No, of course not,” spokeswoman Rosario Neaves said, but added that the city provides free parking for employees at its nearby garages. “It’s a bold move of theirs, and it’s great, but our budget is smaller and I’m not quite sure if it could take that on.”
Santa Clara County officials hope they will be able to drop the service in less than four years by moving some employees to two other county-owned properties, in Silver Creek and on Tasman and First streets in four buildings they bought from SRI Eleven Tasman.
In the meantime, it’s taking some getting used to for county employees.
Some supervisors already say their once-tardy employees are showing up on time instead of hunting for a parking space for the first 20 minutes of their shifts.
And when it comes to heading home, anyone who uses the county service can text the attendants before they leave work to have their car ready for them when they get to the lot, valet parking supervisor Erik Fall said. The service runs from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on weekdays.
Some county employees who used the service last week couldn’t believe it was free and asked Fall if they had to tip the attendants. Initially, there was a sign up at the kiosk indicating that tips weren’t necessary, though they were welcome. Before the end of the week, the county had the contractor take down the sign to minimize any confusion.
Lot attendants who work about 30 hours a week make $22.98 an hour, in accordance with the county’s living wage rule. But since they are contracted and not county employees they do not receive health care from the county or a pension.
Gallegos said the valet service was County Executive Jeff Smith’s idea. Once construction starts in February, traffic around the county building — and parking — will be a major challenge. San Pedro Street, an important through-way from the Taylor Street exit off Highway 87, will be closed, and commuters will have to compete with gravel trucks for several months on First Street, another path to the county building off that exit.
“But,” Gallegos said, “valet parking will help.”
Dropoff point: The county valet parking entrance may change once construction begins, but right now, it’s in the employee parking lot, known as the C lot, just north of the intersection of Hedding and N. San Pedro streets.
To get there currently: If you are heading west on Hedding (toward the Santa Cruz Mountains), turn right at the N. San Pedro traffic light (toward the sheriff’s headquarters, not toward the SJPD). The entrance is marked on your right.
If you are heading south on First Street, one option is to turn right on E. Younger Ave., then left on N. San Pedro; the entrance is on your left. Another option is to turn right on Hedding, then right on San Pedro to the entrance on your right.
