A 15-year-old Bishop's School student pitched a fee-based parking permit system to the La Jolla Traffic & Transportation Board on Aug. 18. The proposal gained no traction.

Hritika Hosalkar, a junior at The Bishop's School at 7607 La Jolla Blvd., proposed allowing students to buy semester-long placards that would exempt them from timed parking restrictions on nearby streets. The permits would apply from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m., Monday through Friday when classes are in session, and would be registered with the city of San Diego.

Hosalkar told the board that students already fill most nearby on-street spaces during school hours but must leave class repeatedly to move their cars and avoid citations. Her proposal, she argued, would formalize what is already happening.

"Bishop's students already occupy most all of the parking spaces on these streets today," Hosalkar said at the meeting, the San Diego Union-Tribune reported. "The proposal simply formalizes an existing parking pattern and eliminates repeated vehicle movement while allowing students to stay in class."

The item was listed for discussion only and did not advance to a vote.

Board members called the presentation "very impressive" but questioned whether the plan could work. Board chair Erik Gantzel said the idea had merit but would be difficult to implement. He added that many members would likely oppose it because "people don't like the idea of winners and losers when it comes to parking."

Board member Ross Rudolph was more direct, calling it "a Bishop's School problem" and saying the school should address its own inadequate parking rather than seek exemptions on public streets.

Hosalkar's presentation was not formally affiliated with The Bishop's School but was given with support from administrators. School spokeswoman Cathy Morrison said in a statement that Hosalkar demonstrated initiative and leadership in presenting options for a challenge students and neighbors face daily.

A pattern of pushback

The proposal is not the first time the board has pushed back on efforts to reserve public street parking for private use. Board member Mary Soriano pointed to a September 2025 presentation in which Dr. Julianna Wilcox, owner of Pearl Street Pet Hospital, proposed designating a loading and unloading zone outside her business. Board members raised similar concerns then about restricting public parking access in a high-demand area.

Then-board member John Bauer said at that September 2025 meeting that the community was giving up free parking spots it relies on daily, and that it had to stop somewhere.

The La Jolla Traffic & Transportation Board meets on the third Tuesday of each month at 4 p.m.