ESCONDIDO - City officials say they have drawn up overnight parking restrictions that would reduce overcrowding in Escondido without creating the kind of costly, complicated permit application system the City Council sought last summer.

Council members praised the simpler and less intrusive approach Friday, but critics said making the restrictions less complex does not change the fact they're a thinly veiled attempt to drive poor Latinos out of Escondido by preventing multiple families from inhabiting single-family homes.

"The goal is to drive poor people out of town by making their lives intolerable," said Bill Flores, a spokesman for El Grupo, an umbrella group of civil rights organizations. "It's a misguided approach to addressing a perceived problem with overcrowding."

But council members have insisted that the parking proposal is not just another version of a 2006 law they approved prohibiting landlords from renting to illegal immigrants.

The council first suggested the overnight parking restrictions last spring, shortly after a federal judge blocked the rental ban. But council members contend that the parking rules are based on quality-of-life issues rather than immigration.

Councilman Sam Abed, a strong supporter of new parking restrictions and the rental ban, said Friday that his support for the simpler parking rules is evidence that they are not about race.

"If my intention was to attack illegal immigration, I wouldn't be supporting a simpler approach that gives out permits without forcing people to apply and show identification," said Abed. "This is only about quality of life."

Under the simpler approach proposed by city staff, each business and home in the city would be mailed two annual street parking permits that would not require a trip to City Hall, an application or proof of citizenship.

The council had previously requested only one annual permit per address and up to 100 guest passes per year, and the permits and passes would be disbursed at City Hall after residents completed an application and showed valid identification.

The council will discuss the new proposal at a 4 p.m. public hearing Wednesday at City Hall, 201 N. Broadway. Jon Brindle, director of community development, said the proposal is based on six months of research and trips by several Escondido employees to two California cities that have similar restrictions.

Abed said Friday he wishes the council had thought of the simpler rules months ago.

"I think our earlier approach was too complex and put too much of a burden on both the city government and the citizens," said Abed. "My goal is preventing people from abusing street parking at the expense of their neighbors, and this simpler approach does that without putting a large burden on the average citizen."

Councilman Dick Daniels said the new proposal from city staff is innovative.

"I think it's much more doable," said Daniels. "It helps us get at the problem without punishing people who are not part of the problem. The other approach was going to be an administrative nightmare."

A seven-page report on parking restrictions describes the hassles and headaches city staffers can expect if the council's more complex approach was adopted. The report is available at www.escondido.org/parking/Parking_Workshop_12_19_Meeting.pdf.

"Given that the expected number of permit requests may approach or exceed 20,000, screening provisions would likely require retention of several new employees and a satellite processing facility," according to the report. "Other costs include a hearing officer to conduct appeals, signage required prior to enforcement and the cost of tickets and permits."

Brindle said trips to Pasadena and Menlo Park were quite instructive, but he said the success of parking permit programs in those cities does not mean similar programs would work in Escondido.

"Bottom line, there really wasn't an example that fit us," said Brindle. "Pasadena has many more opportunities for off-street parking in garages and driveways, while Menlo Park lets people park in their yards in order to keep the cars off the streets."

Daniels said the city still must decide how to handle older homes that have no driveways or garages, and large families with several teenage drivers. He suggested the city could create an appeals process to deal with such cases.

Mayor Lori Holt Pfeiler, the lone council member to oppose the parking restrictions, said she is pleased that a less intrusive version could be approved.

But Pfeiler said the council should pay close attention to the results of a six-week parking survey that has been under way since early November. Walker Consultants is determining the size of the city's overnight parking problem and how many neighborhoods are affected.

"If we find there is not a tremendous need out there, then we should be spending money on more important things," said Pfeiler. "We have to be clear about what we are trying to solve, and how large the problem is."

Contact staff writer David Garrick at (760) 740-5468 or dgarrick@nctimes.com.