Community Forums

jacksdad · 07-13-2013, 12:58 PM

Not sure if this is being talked about outside of San Diego, but the City Council just gave initial approval to a new ordinance that claims to be directed at the problem of the homeless living in RVs, but will effectively ban the overnight street parking of all "oversized vehicles" (at least 27 feet long and 7 feet high), RVs (including motorhomes of any kind, campers, travel trailers, dune buggys, ATVs, jet skis and off road vehicles), and any size trailer (or non-motorized vehicle) irrespective of it's intended use. It will also impose a ban on parking within 50 feet of an intersection on all three groups. Overnight parking will be allowed if a 24 hour permit is obtained beforehand with limits of three issued consecutively, so long stays without campground access will no longer be possible. A $100 fine will be levied for either offense. It's such a shame because the beaches, mountains and deserts here are prime examples of why people own or visit with their RVs. Just to let you know that when this passes it's second vote on July 22nd (and it will almost certainly be railroaded through despite considerable opposition) and pending a final decision by the Coastal Commission, if you still want to visit you should make sure you're familiar with the permitting process and new parking restrictions or have your trip ruined with $100 tickets. Parking enforcement officers will each be given a quota of 25 a day for this ordinance alone, so they will be writing tickets and lots of them. To bring in the estimated revenue of $2.8 million, almost 28,000 citations will need to be issued annually within San Diego city limits. Be warned.

S.D. bans overnight RV street parking | UTSanDiego.com

damdannyboy · 07-13-2013, 01:21 PM

How much is the permit ?

jacksdad · 07-13-2013, 01:29 PM

A whopping $2. The only problem with that is they're planning on generating $2.8 million a year from permits and citations, and at $2 a pop you can reckon that a lot of tickets will be written to make up the shortfall, so visitors should be aware of what will get them a citation and tread carefully.
On a local note, the City Council themselves have admitted that one of their own studies shows that local storage facilities have far fewer spaces than the number that will be needed by local residents when they have to move off the streets, and they stilled voted 7-0 in favor of a ban.

R2Home · 07-13-2013, 01:34 PM

Why would one want to visit "Northern Mexico"?

TeJay · 07-13-2013, 01:42 PM

It seems pretty obvious. Any way you can raise a buck do it and to He** with who it hurts or how it may effect the average person who tries to do everything correctly. Why make a law to pick on everybody instead of ticketing those that live in their RV??? Same old story. Don't hold people accountable for their actions just try to legislate morality. Make more rules and regulations that will get lost in the shuffle.
I realize CA has a lot to see but I'll see all I can in the other 49 before I do CA.

JM2CW
TeJay

WheelingIt · 07-13-2013, 02:18 PM

Sad to hear it, but I know this has been "in the works" for a while. They were talking about it when we lived in the city 4 years ago. Seems only small vans will be able to overnight anywhere now and then only by "stealth".

Does this ordinance put any new restrictions on daytime parking? I'm especially thinking about popular day spots like Fiesta Island, Mission Bay, Ocean Beach etc.

P.S. There are still Casinos that allow overnight parking in the city for those that need a temp spot. We've used them in the past for our 40-footer.

Elf · 07-13-2013, 02:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jacksdad

Not sure if this is being talked about outside of San Diego, but the City Council just gave initial approval to a new ordinance that claims to be directed at the problem of the homeless living in RVs, but will effectively ban the overnight street parking of all "oversized vehicles" (at least 27 feet long and 7 feet high), RVs (including motorhomes of any kind, campers, travel trailers, dune buggys, ATVs, jet skis and off road vehicles), and any size trailer (or non-motorized vehicle) irrespective of it's intended use. It will also impose a ban on parking within 50 feet of an intersection on all three groups. Overnight parking will be allowed if a 24 hour permit is obtained beforehand with limits of three issued consecutively, so long stays without campground access will no longer be possible. A $100 fine will be levied for either offense. It's such a shame because the beaches, mountains and deserts here are prime examples of why people own or visit with their RVs. Just to let you know that when this passes it's second vote on July 22nd (and it will almost certainly be railroaded through despite considerable opposition) and pending a final decision by the Coastal Commission, if you still want to visit you should make sure you're familiar with the permitting process and new parking restrictions or have your trip ruined with $100 tickets. Parking enforcement officers will each be given a quota of 25 a day for this ordinance alone, so they will be writing tickets and lots of them. To bring in the estimated revenue of $2.8 million, almost 28,000 citations will need to be issued annually within San Diego city limits. Be warned.

S.D. bans overnight RV street parking | UTSanDiego.com

It would seem to me that if they are living in their RVs then they aren't homeless. Otherwise there are a lot of homeless people out there with very expensive non-homes.

TXiceman · 07-13-2013, 02:39 PM

You can probably go back and look and this was a result of a few thoughtless souls that feel that thay have the right to "camp" where every they want and for as long as they want for free.

My 2 cents worth.

Ken

jacksdad · 07-13-2013, 05:40 PM

WheelingIt - daytime parking is only restricted by the ban on parking within 50 feet of an intersection, but as I'm sure you know in some communities it's almost impossible to find parking that would keep you legal, and the beach communities would almost certainly be a no-go unless you found that elusive spot in the middle of the block. The street parking ban is from 2am to 6am. And as you pointed out, the RVs that are exempt are the small van conversions (I called the councilman responsible and spoke to his secretary about this one) and they're the ones I see a good proportion of the "homeless" (sorry, Elf

) using so it's not going to completely fix anything, and it'll give the determined a way to skirt the law. It's not the most elegant of ordinances to say the least and seems to be yet another example of a legal sledgehammer being used to crack a nut. Legitimate RV owners are being penalized by lawmakers that seem to forget that they already have the tools necessary to deal with the problem (72 hour and housekeeping laws already on the books). If you still want to visit, please be careful.

swampdog2 · 07-13-2013, 06:33 PM

:bow

Eddie Foy · 07-13-2013, 06:36 PM

Yet another reason that I stay out of Kalifornia.

PyrateSilly · 07-13-2013, 07:54 PM

You might like to keep these sites handy -
RV Unfriendly Towns No Overnight RV Parking Allowed
POI Megafile: RV Unfriendly | Streets & Trips Team Blog
RV Unfriendly Communities

wincrasher · 07-13-2013, 08:21 PM

I guess I don't understand why this ordinance is a problem. If you want to visit and enjoy all the benefits within the city limits of San Diego, you should reserve and stay in a proper campground, or out of town in areas that allow camping. Why would you want to park and "camp" on a city street?

People pay big money to own homes and businesses in these towns where we are "guests". Their will is expressed thru their elected representatives. If they don't want free-loaders on their streets, that's their right.

I'm assuming that this ban also includes big tractor trailer trucks as well. I bet many of these will end up getting tickets (and the bulk of the projected revenue) as they stay in the parking lot overnight before they return for their next load.

Bangorbob · 07-13-2013, 09:17 PM

It's about time. I lived there (South San Diego) for 30 yrs. Almost every side street had a homeless looking RV parked for more than a short stay. Where I lived I would have up to 3 rvs parked with people living in them across from my house. It isn't only the RV's that people live in down there, they also live under the overpasses, fields, anywhere they can find.
I understand some people are out of work and have no other place to live and the city does offer some shelters (only when it gets cold), but it sure does make a neighborhood look bad fast.