Since September, the Youth Police Advisory Committee along with Ripon Police Chief Ed Ormonde reviewed various municipal codes.

They found a few that stood out.

For starters, a sign, in what’s described as the central traffic district (more on that), reads “Parking between two a.m. and four a.m. restricted” is not quite defined.

At last week’s Ripon City Council meeting, committee member Chuey Calvo said that since this sign “is not used, is not enforceable and, therefore, (should) be removed.”

As organizer, Ormonde, in his letter to the Council, agreed with the committee’s recommendation that “this section be removed from the municipal code as an unnecessary and enforceable code,” he said.

The sign is in compliance with a longstanding ordinance (10.40.280) that reads: “No person shall stop, stand, or park a vehicle on any street for a period of time longer than 30 minutes between the hours of 2 a.m. to 4 a.m. of any day, provided that this section shall not apply to a vehicle of any regularly licensed physician when actually engaged in making professional calls.”

Meanwhile, Cody Ley Han, who is also with YPAC, questioned the definition of the aforementioned ‘central traffic district.’

“(It) was not defined although it is mentioned in several section of the code,” he said.

This was the second recommendation made by the committee.

According to Ormonde, the term does appear in other parts of the municipal code in reference to parking, loading zones, and pedestrian traffic.

The central traffic district includes all streets and portion of streets within these areas:

• West Main Street, between Jack Tone Road and Stockton Avenue.

• East Main Street, between Stockton Avenue and Nourse Avenue.

• South Stockton Avenue, between Second Street and Main Street.

• North Stockton Avenue, between Main Street and Garrison Way.

Council agreed on the changes, voting 5-0 to waive the first reading and introduce the ordinance.

The review, Ormonde said, consisted of committee members reading and discussing these municipal codes for effectiveness and ease of understanding.

“The goal of the YPAC was to generate an understanding of how municipal codes are constructed and, if the need arises, on how to effect changes to those codes identified with the need of amendments,” he said.