Westfield Valley Fair parking fee sparks worker backlash

Mall employees deliver petition to protesting new policy

Those days of leisurely strolling the mall, window shopping without thinking about what you'll spend — other than what strikes your fancy — have passed. At least at San Jose's Westfield Valley Fair.

Shoppers who poured into the mall recently discovered they had to open their wallets after a couple of hours to keep their cars parked in the lots without getting a ticket.

And they weren't too happy about that, nor are the store employees who have to fork over $40 a month to park next to their work.

“I don't like it the way it is right now,” said Santa Clara resident Kiran Desai, who was shopping at the mall Feb 9. “We come here because of the ease and convenience of parking. But to start charging me for parking and doing the shopping, it does not bode well with me.”

Even though he paid only $1 for his third hour of shopping, Desai said he'll likely find another place in the area to park for free in the future. Santana Row, an open-air shopping center right across the street, currently doesn't charge for parking. However, there are restrictions for parking in the neighborhood surrounding the mall.

The paid parking, which started Feb. 8, is part of Westfield Corp.'s effort to limit the number of cars left at the mall by people commuting to work or using the garages as free parking for nearby Mineta San Jose International Airport. The mall has 8,400 spaces, although management hasn't indicated how many of those routinely get staked by interlopers.

Westfield installed the 28 payment kiosks more than two years ago, but because the pandemic kept almost everyone away in 2020, it didn't start charging for parking until now.

After the first two free hours, customers and mall employees have to pay $1 an hour, up to a maximum of $10 a day. Moviegoers at the Showplace Icon Theatre get a break — free parking for the first four hours.

The mall's employees have to pay unless their stores pick up the tab for them at $40 each month.

“It's not right at all,” said Antonio Garcia, who works at the Diesel

store and noted that although some stores are covering their employees' share, many aren't.

He organized a petition drive objecting to the parking charge, saying, “It's a greedy move by the mall.”

For many mall workers making minimum wage, $40 equates to a week's worth of groceries that comes out of their paycheck, Garcia said.

Valley Fair employees early this week delivered the petition with more than 1,000 signatures to mall management. They've yet to receive a response.

Mall management refused to answer questions about the impact paid parking will have on employees and instead issued a statement that said: “We are aware of concerns by some employees who work at the center. By creating a more controlled parking environment, the hope is that the already popular center brings even more customers to support retailers allowing them to flourish.”

Valley Fair is the first of Westfield's Bay Area locations to charge for parking. Oakridge in San Jose doesn't charge, and the San Francisco Centre doesn't have a dedicated garage, meaning patrons have to take public transit or find parking elsewhere.