Cops are cracking down on RV dwellers in San Diego.
The number of tickets handed out under the city’s oversized vehicle ordinance has more than doubled since a crackdown on RV living started in July, data shared with Voice of San Diego reveals.
Cops had largely stopped enforcing the oversized vehicle ordinance for years, officials said, because of a complaint brought by people living out of their cars that was tied up in court. But finally last year, a settlement agreement paved the way for renewed enforcement. (Police did issue some oversized vehicle tickets prior to the settlement, but officials said the majority were related to oversized vehicles being parked too close to intersections, a provision not covered by the settlement.)
During the first month of renewed enforcement in July, San Diego police handed out over 200 citations. That number jumped to almost 700 citations in January. Over the course of seven months, police have handed out more than 3,000 citations.
“When [oversized vehicle] enforcement was just beginning there was a natural learning curve as officers interacted and educated members of the public,” wrote Captain Steve Shebloski of SDPD’s Neighborhood Policing Division in an email.
He said although the beach and bay areas are the most impacted when it comes to complaints about illegal parking, the ordinance is also enforced in other areas of the city based on complaints.
The ordinance states that any vehicle longer than 27 feet and taller than 7 feet is not allowed to park on city streets between 2 a.m. and 6 a.m.
Back in 2017, a group of people living out of their cars and RVs sued the city in federal court, saying the law was unconstitutional. The agreement last year stipulated that the city needed to open a safe parking lot for people to go, before cops started handing out tickets.
Once the safe parking lot, H Barracks, opened near the airport, cops began enforcing restrictions on vehicle dwellers. But backlash from attorneys who represent people living in their cars was swift.
They filed a legal motion against the city saying the lot is not “reasonably available.” They said the distance to the lot makes it difficult for some people living on fixed incomes to go back and forth every day. H Barracks is only open from 6 p.m. to 7 a.m.
City officials clapped back and said it is “reasonably available.” Now a judge must decide whether the city is complying.
In the meantime, cops are clearly enforcing the ordinance.
They say they don’t just ticket homeless people, but also people who are living out of their cars part time and by choice to have access to the city’s waves and beaches.
In beach areas like Mission Bay, lots are closed from 2 a.m. to 4 a.m. and people parking there overnight – whether in an RV or other type of vehicle – can also be cited.
Shebloski said people found in violation of the ordinance are offered an opportunity to go to H Barracks and given information about the city’s safe parking program.
If the individual accepts, they are not issued a ticket.
“As with [oversized vehicles] or any other type of enforcement of traffic or parking violations, officers are encouraged to weigh the totality of the circumstances and use good judgement on deciding when to issue a citation or to give a warning,” said Shebloski.
I don’t understand why protected lots like H Barracks has to be vacated every morning. Why not let the RVers and others stay a few days? More people might use these lots if they didn’t have to move in and out so often. The parking is free but the gas is not, and what is the point of having these huge lots sit empty all day?
Because this would require some original and “out of the box” thinking, which our politicians are completely incapable of. They just move from crisis to crisis, believing the solution is always more taxpayer money.
Well, it would also require additional staffing and likely additional support by City staff for things like sanitation, security, etc.
Because they don’t need the problems that come along with people making that lot a home. Let’s not pretend these are upstanding citizens that are using this resource. And, our tax dollars shouldn’t be used for this. When the government decided they knew better than the local churches and shelters and thought they could do a better job of taking care of these folks, homelessness and crime exploded, because the government is incompetent by design.
H Barracks should become 24 hour. It is greatly underused right now despite the expense to set up and administer it. The city’s claim that the daytime only hours were required by the Coastal Commission is false. The city’s application stated the lot would only be open during the day. Moving a 27 foot RV every morning is a strain and waste of gas. And, where do they go? Right back to the Mission Bay Park lots when parking is needed most. The Balboa safe lot was recently closed, freeing up funds to run Barracks H 24 hours.
Seems like a “revenue enhancement” operation. Rents are astronomical and buying a house or condo is out of reach. An RV seems like a solution of some kind.
Reading makes me feel I live in a communist state. Why does it matter ? You don’t want homeless to live on the streets so why can’t you help people by letting them sleep in a parking lot? They bother no one. Hmm maybe it’s the money that upsets them so much?
It is regrettable to observe that the city neglects individuals residing in recreational vehicles and automobiles, often subjecting them to unfair treatment. Furthermore, the general public’s perception tends to be predominantly negative; many individuals I have engaged with believe they are all problematic. However, the majority are not. There is an underlying reason for their circumstances: the exceedingly high cost of living compels some individuals to hold multiple jobs solely to survive. I believe the city should implement measures to make living conditions more affordable, and establishing a program that allows residents to park with minimal movement, governed by specific regulations, could be effective. Numerous unused lots around San Diego could be repurposed for this purpose. Nonetheless, the issue ultimately depends on financial considerations. The city appears to discourage such living arrangements in RVs or cars because they do not generate revenue; consequently, measures such as issuing tickets and reposting are employed. This approach underscores the economic motivations behind the city’s policies.
The idea of an RV is to have a convenient vehicle to go camping in a few times a year or for traveling the country when you retire. They are meant to be able to move from place to place easily. Im surprised they are given a parking lot at all. Here in the San Fernando Valley, you see the parked all over along side the freeways. Here is what the issue is in my opinion. The RV is 27 ft long by maybe 8 to 10 ft wide. And thats not interior sq foot living space. Factor in the ammenities of a house and theres just not enough space to live as if its a house. If I was living in a space this small, I wouldn’t be collecting old bicycles and lawn mowers, and any and all other salvageable items found around the area. Id have a weeks worth of clothes. The ingredients needed to make a sandwich and one bike to ride to a park restroom when needed. The break in the parking is for two reasons. It makes sure the RV’s are all in running condition. It makes sure the parking lot isn’t turned into a convention of life time hoarders. You cant hoard if you cant park in the same space 24/7. The rv problem here is huge. They dump the sewage right on the street along with all the trash everytime they come and go. Cracking down on this would be closing the parking lot. Dont hoard. Keep your rv functional and ready to move at a moments notice. Rv’s are not permanent homes. They always leak. Always catch fire. They have the turn ratio of the Titanic and if youre living in one you gotta live as a neighbor where you park. Keep it clean. Keep normal hours. Dont drain the tank on the sidewalk.
I keep hearing that the police ans city officials don’t have to help people in need find housing, and I can accept that.
People don’t have to help. But they also don’t have to go out of their way to make their lives worse.
We have done the same things in regards to homeless people since the beginning.
It doesn’t work.
Taking away people’s security, their homes does not help in any way. Its YOU being purposely cruel.
Don’t say you’re following the law. I never voted for it. The mayor of city planner… whomever, is the one responsibly.
How about you start making rules and laws that actually help not hurt.
Here here. The community should realize that the homeless wont vanish because you want them to, and overly cruel and callous attempts to accomplish that just provoke anti-social behaviour on the part of many. The community hates them, so in turn they will hate the community rather than try to be good neighbors. If you deny them the dignity of a place to tend to their bodily functions, you cant be shocked to find piles of excrement on sidewalks and doorsteps, and done so not just for necessity but to obviously annoy. Its a balancing act to forge humane policies without laying out a welcome mat for every RV drifter on the west coast, so officials do have a complex task.
What all of this does is make decent survival for those in low income brackets impossible. These decisions are made chiefly made by unfeeling bureaucrats who will never appreciate the difficulty of those who are financially unfortunate, most of them good people trying to get by as best they can, without bothering others. More spaces for these people should be provided.
They try to say the parking lot is “too far away” and that they don’t have the “gas money”. Lollll it’s not like they are all commuting back to the beach side parking spot every day to get to work …. Sorry you don’t get a spot next to the beach to stay parked in for months. Figure it out. Millions do everyday. Get out with this victim mentality. You have an RV which is more than most of the world. Even living out of a car is better than war torn countries or some where in a desert. God the entitlement of US morons..
The government is a cancer.