ESCONDIDO -- The Escondido City Council has a new plan to deal with the effects of illegal immigration, but this one could affect every Escondidan.

The council said Wednesday evening it supports the creation of parking restrictions on residential streets, including the prohibition of overnight parking, to help solve the city's overcrowding problems.

Every council member except Mayor Lori Holt Pfeiler made it clear during their meeting at City Hall that they want the new restrictions, which would be based on an ordinance already in place in a Northern California city.

"We are trying to improve the quality of life in Escondido," Councilman Sam Abed said.

Abed and other council members have blamed the overcrowding in part on illegal immigrants living here.

Councilwoman Marie Waldron said overcrowded homes that have far more residents than originally intended put a strain on city services such as sewers and sanitation. And many residents can't find parking places near their homes because of the increased number of cars that result from the overcrowding.

An overnight parking ordinance should address these issues, she said.

"I think that will take care of a lot of the problems in our neighborhoods," Waldron said.

After a presentation by city staff members about similar parking ordinances in other cities, the council decided to have its staff hold a public forum on the proposal and begin working on an ordinance that would be modeled after one in Menlo Park by San Francisco Bay.

The Menlo Park ordinance requires residents to pay for on-street parking permits and prohibits parking in residential areas from 2 to 5 a.m., among other restrictions.

The idea to prohibit overnight parking in Escondido was proposed in August during the same meeting at which the council majority -- Abed, Waldron and Councilman Ed Gallo -- directed staff members to create a controversial and ultimately doomed ordinance that punished landlords for renting to illegal immigrants.

The rental ordinance sparked demonstrations outside City Hall and brought national media attention to Escondido. It finally was abandoned by the council in the face of a potentially costly legal battle stemming from a lawsuit by the American Civil Liberties Union and other groups.

Some council members referenced the city's previous experience in trying to rid the city of illegal immigrants Wednesday.

"We've got to do this right," said Daniels, who was elected to the council in November. "We can't try anything or do anything that is experimental."

Abed said using the Menlo Park ordinance as a framework should help the city avoid legal issues.

"We have a model that has been ACLU (American Civil Liberties Union) approved, which is good," Abed said.

Pfeiler had many questions about how the new law might work, but didn't voice a strong opinion either way on the parking restrictions. She said the council should recognize that it isn't uncommon for more than one family to buy a house and live there together for economic reasons, which means more cars would have to park at that residence.

"The key piece of information is the housing costs have skyrocketed," Pfeiler said. "We shouldn't be surprised that more people are living in a home."

The mayor also stressed the need for community input before making a decision on the ordinance.

"If you want to have a successful program, you've got to get out there and talk to the community," Pfeiler said.

But not all council members agreed.

Daniels said community input on the details of the new law is important, but he definitely supports the ordinance.

"My interest in community input is not whether (to create the ordinance), but what is the best way," he said.

Gallo said he doesn't want to "belabor the process" of creating the ordinance with too many community discussions, and Abed seemed skeptical about the need for much public input.

"I don't need more community input. I don't need more study," he said. "I drive on the streets every day and I see what the problem is."

The council directed city staff members to have a public forum, which council members wouldn't attend, to get input from community groups and residents. Staff members would bring the results of that forum back to the council for discussion before drafting a parking ordinance.

- Contact staff writer Paul Eakins at (760) 740-5420 or peakins@nctimes.com.