Case Study: Glendale, CA

Practical Innovation, Real Results: Glendale’s Modern Parking Enforcement Story

With a flexible, tech-forward partner and an eye for practical solutions, the City of Glendale, CA turned a broken parking enforcement system into a model of modern parking compliance.

Just 10 miles north of downtown Los Angeles, the City of Glendale faces the same traffic pressures as many of its neighboring cities in LA County, making effective, data-driven parking enforcement essential. From managing turnover in in-demand commercial corridors to maintaining safe curb access for multi-modal transportation, parking plays a vital role in urban mobility.

When Jesus Alvarez stepped into his role as Parking Services Supervisor for the City, he brought over a decade of enforcement experience across Southern California cities, and a clear mission: Enhance the City’s enforcement operations with efficiency by upgrading to a modern system, replacing the outdated legacy platform that had become unreliable.

We couldn’t even run basic reports with filters,” Alvarez recalled. “How are we going to provide exceptional customer service when we can’t make data-driven decisions with our enforcement resources?”

Challenges before Park Loyalty

The City’s enforcement team faced several critical challenges with their old system.

• Outdated citation software and handheld devices prone to freezing and other connectivity issues that disrupted day-to-day enforcement
• Rigid reporting tools with missing or unusable data
• Poor customer support and limited responsiveness
• Lack of vendor transparency during system outages or failures
• Inability to use “active” integrations

“Updates felt like downgrades. We were stuck with an enforcement tool that just didn’t work for how we needed to operate,” says Alvarez.

Time for a change: A platform designed for enforcement reality

In previous positions, Alvarez had worked with Park Loyalty Founder and CTO Sriram Somanchi and was drawn to what a new technology partner might offer. Although Park Loyalty was a new company at the time, Somanchi brought extensive experience in parking enforcement, applying the most practical aspects of that experience to the startup from the outset. Glendale became one of the first cities to implement Enforce Pro®, Park Loyalty’s enforcement management solution, and as an early adopter, helped shape its initial product roadmap. What developed was more than just a vendor-client relationship; it was a true collaboration.

“We all grew together,” explained Alvarez. “As one of their early cities, we were more than just a customer; we were a partner in what ended up being a truly mutual relationship. It was simple. We’d tell them what we needed, and they’d build it.”

This approach is exactly what makes Jesus Alvarez an industry impact leader: someone whose vision and openness helped shape solutions that strengthen operations, benefit communities, and set new standards across the industry.

Solutions delivered

• Customizable reports for vehicle inspections, signage audits, and equipment inventory
• Smartphone-based handhelds paired with Bluetooth printers for modular field use
• Real-time analytics and dashboards for officer performance tracking and supervisory management
• Fast hardware replacement when needed, and responsive support
• Reliable uptime and proactive monitoring tools that track performance across Park Loyalty and all integrated third-party technologies within the parking ecosystem

Practical innovation that works: Operational and officer efficiency

The move to smartphone-based handhelds allowed for quick swaps in the field, no reconfiguration required. This minimized downtime and aligned with Alvarez’s goals of operational efficiency.

The team also saw improvements in field oversight and training. With Enforce Pro’s productivity reporting, Alvarez could monitor performance trends and provide specific coaching where needed.

“If an enforcement officer takes 90 seconds to issue a parking citation while the team’s average is 60 seconds or less, supervisory staff can investigate the reasons behind this trend and offer appropriate support to our enforcement team.”

A Technology-First Partner Built for the Future

Park Loyalty is a technology-first company, and that shows in its prioritization of development resources. Built with modern architecture and an API-first approach, the Enforce Pro platform is designed for rapid development, scalable integrations, and long-term adaptability.

Alvarez values this commitment to reliability just as much as innovation. As new enforcement challenges arise, he knows the Park Loyalty team can adapt alongside him without the long delays or limitations experienced with many legacy providers.

Real-Time Integration Across the Parking Ecosystem

One of Glendale’s priorities was interoperability across its entire parking system. One of Enforce Pro’s greatest advantages for Glendale is its ability to pull data from across the City’s parking ecosystem, including:

• T2 Systems (parking meters)
• PayByPhone (mobile payments)
• License Plate Recognition (LPR tools)

That means officers can check in real time whether a vehicle is paid or not, reducing errors and disputes. Alvarez also uses the Integrations Dashboard to monitor system latency and performance, making sure everything is in sync.

“If latency spikes above a minute, we know something’s off. Whether it’s a meter issue or a network problem, we can catch it before it affects enforcement.”

Results: Reliable Enforcement, Better Compliance

• Since implementing Park Loyalty, the City of Glendale has seen:
• Improved officer efficiency and uptime in the field
• Increased citation accuracy and fewer disputed tickets
• Greater trust and transparency through consistent data
• Faster response times for hardware and support needs
• A flexible system that evolves with operational needs
• And perhaps most importantly for Alvarez: he finally has tools that help him lead effectively.

“Whenever we requested something, it was like VIP service. Whoever’s on the call is truly engaged: listening, taking notes, and making sure the issue gets fixed.”

Final Word: Why Park Loyalty?

Alvarez didn’t hesitate when asked if he’d recommend Park Loyalty to other cities.

“Once they see it, they’ll see how easy and smooth enforcement can be. It just works. That makes all the difference.”

Key Takeaways for Parking Leaders:

• Strategic partnerships with your vendors matter
• Flexibility and adaptability beat out flashy features
• Real-time integrations drive operational accuracy
• Data visibility enables better leadership and officer support
• A technology-first mindset is crucial for staying future-ready