This post has been updated.
In July last year, the city began ticketing RV campers in Mission Bay after a safe parking lot, H Barracks, opened nearby. A lawsuit filed by a group of homeless people in 2017 prevented the city from handing out tickets, unless the city could provide an immediate spot at a safe parking lot. They reached a settlement in 2024 and opened H Barracks in 2025.
But that safe parking lot, H Barracks, is only open between 6 p.m. and 7 a.m.
The H Barracks lot has fixed hours for two reasons: the city’s permit and program goals.
The California Coastal Commission, which is the state agency that oversees the land along the coast, approved the city’s request to operate the safe parking site from 6 p.m. to 7 a.m.
Matt Hoffman, spokesperson for the city’s homeless services, said that the “intent” was always limited to overnight use.
“Simply staying onsite 24/7 is not the goal of the program,” he said.Hoffman said the goal of H Barracks is to connect people with housing, services, and employment resources to end their homelessness. They said many of the participants are off site during the day to attend appointments, school or work.
H Barracks is one of two safe parking lots that operate at fixed hours. The city operates two 24-hour lots, the Mission Valley lot and the Rose Canyon lot.
However, a legal motion filed by the attorney who represents people living in their vehicles said late last year that the H Barracks is not “reasonably available,” which is a condition in the settlement.
Vehicle dwellers said that having to move in and out of H Barracks each day is not possible for them. Many live on a fixed income and can’t pay for gas to move their vehicles. Others have disabilities that make leaving the lot difficult each morning.
They filed a legal motion against the city in November arguing the lot does not take into account these circumstances.
The city clapped back in a legal response. But the plaintiffs didn’t back down.
“Issuing costly tickets for nighttime parking to disabled class members who through no fault of their own but merely due to their disabilities, are prevented from using a nighttime-only lot, does nothing to help end their homelessness,” said lead attorney Ann Menasche in a plaintiffs’ response on Dec. 9.
It’s now up to a judge to determine whether the city is following the settlement agreement.
Clarification: This post has been updated to clarify that the California Coastal Commission approved the permit for the hours of operation the city proposed.
If the goal of the lot is to connect users with other resources but the lot opens at 6 p.m. and closes at 7 a.m., hours when most resources are closed or unstaffed, how is the goal being met? How is the city working to connect users to resources? What resources do the users most need or request?
I’d like to understand the reasoning of the CA Coastal Commission permit limiting the hours of use. There are sites within a half mile that allow day use, such as hotels. The condition of this permit makes the site useless for its purpose.
I feel like this lot was a way to close Mission Bay to the people who had setup camp there. What I find more interesting is that the obvious area, near the ski launch next to Sea World, was not chosen as a location. It has bathrooms, showers, and a facility to deal with camper sewage. It is much closer to the preferred area the campers prefer, and it is not used in the evening by regular bay users.
I am not for people residing in public parks.
Another concern although not stated, is that if the vehicles are not required to move, the safe parking lots will become lots for vehicles that are actually inoperable.
Also, isn’t it true that the parameters of the Coastal permit are that way because the City only REQUESTED those limited hours?
I’d bet dollars to donuts that you are correct.
If safe parking users are not required to move, the lot becomes a de facto free campground (albeit without free dumping facilities).
Per Census data, more than half of renters here are already paying more than 30% of their income on housing costs. But, as taxpayers, they are then expected to also subsidize the RV dwellers so they can camp for free at Mission Bay? How does that prevent more renters from ending up unhoused?
The claim of $85.00 ticket is ina urate. Mine are $175.00. The City Council is required to post signs on every block that 86.0139 tickets are issued or they are not valid. Actualy the signs that are around town were not legal until they changed the parking laws text to match there signs. None of the 86.0139 tickets were valid but it takes 8 months and paying the fine to fight the bogus ticket. Many just pay it. I cannot afford to pay it.I fight and win each one(over 250 of them..).