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ChiefJohn · 08-10-2010, 08:16 AM

Interesting article on supposedly 'RV'ers' trashing a city in CA.

Posted in the Fox News Blogs http://liveshots.blogs.foxnews.com/2...est=latestnews.

"Curb Your Parking Enthusiasm
Posted By Laura Prabucki On August 10, 2010 @ 12:54 AM In U.S.
by Laura Prabucki and William La Jeunesse
Venice, California. An eclectic area in Southern California, best known for its beaches, canals and carnival-like atmosphere along the waterfront.
But lately, tensions have been rising between homeowners and the homeless... who live in their cars, campers and RVs.
" Venice has become an urban RV park," says Mark Ryavec, President of the Venice Stakeholders Association.
" They take up very, very dear parking, they leave a lot of trash, occasionally they use people's front yards as toilets. I mean a lot of really objectionable behavior."
Residents say the "objectionable behavior" from some of the 200 plus RVs also includes excessive noise, drug and alcohol abuse, prostitution and human waste on the curb and in residents' yards.
For years, Venicians have been fighting to limit overnight parking to residents only but the California Coastal Commission intervened earlier this year, saying any ordinance that limits parking reduces public access to the beach.
Commissioner Sara Wan angered residents when she voted against the ordinance, claiming "what (Venice) was trying to do was use preferential parking to solve their social problems."
While many acknowledge the homeless problem and the need to address those living on the streets, proponents of parking restrictions say it's unfair to homeowners in Venice.
"It's the only piece of land near the beach from Santa Barbara to San Diego that doesn't have the right to have parking restrictions," says Bill Rosendahl, L.A. City Councilman.
"They're totally passing the buck. That's what these people are doing. Let them live here and have a car or camper in front of their house. See how they feel."
A partial compromise was reached last month, when the L.A. City Council passed an oversized vehicle ordinance. That will allow neighborhoods to elect to ban vehicles more than 22 feet long or 7 feet high from parking on local streets overnight.
Councilman Rosendahl's office says each block will need 2/3 approval for these restrictions to go into place. They're planning to hold meetings and send around petitions."

RustyJC · 08-10-2010, 08:21 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ChiefJohn

"Let them live here and have a car or camper in front of their house. See how they feel."

As pointed out above, their actual problem is how to deal with the homeless. They could be sleeping in a clapped-out 87 Crown Vic just as easily as a trashed-out motorhome. I would hope that saner minds would prevail and they would address the root cause of their problem, not just paint all RVers with a broad brush.

Rusty

ruppr · 08-10-2010, 08:29 AM

While they did pass an ordinance on over sized vehicle parking, reading the stories and looking at the pictures, I think once again we also come down to people's decisions of what they call an RV. First thought is-- too broad a brush.

Do homeless people really have RV's?? Are they homeless if they do?? Someone has to pay for license plates, inspections etc., otherwise we're talking abandon vehicles.

Just a thought---

Best,

ruppr

RustyJC · 08-10-2010, 08:43 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ruppr

Do homeless people really have RV's?? Are they homeless if they do??

Point taken. Perhaps "indigent transients" would be more accurate???

Rusty

RickO · 08-10-2010, 09:44 AM

Agreed, the real problem is the homeless and that problem is not unique to Venice. Also, to call Venice eclectic is to dramatically understate the culture there.

InPursuit · 08-10-2010, 10:51 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RustyJC

Point taken. Perhaps "indigent transients" would be more accurate???

another way of looking is as the symptom of the even larger problem
that too few are willing to even acknowledge exists

one that isn't gonna get better on it's own

but most governments, and especially the municipal's, don't have any real power to do much but poorly and ineffectively flail at those symptoms

mythplaced · 08-10-2010, 12:09 PM

I observed this phenomena in Santa Barbara a couple weeks ago..Seems the "Hoovervilles" are back again.

Seems that the CA beaches are the "RV graveyards" of USA..

Never saw so many "decrepit" RV's as I did there..

ChiefJohn · 08-10-2010, 12:15 PM

Thanks Mike -- and that must be the problem, a few RV wannabes making it bad for the true RV'ers.

Gary - K7GLD · 08-10-2010, 07:07 PM

Could this be the start of some new "social movement" - sorta like the "free transportation" of depression years, where homeless and unemployed individuals used the "free" transportation provided by freight trains to get from place to place - with lots of hobo "jungles" scattered along the way? My dad tells of those years - and his own activities in a past time that seems the be returning to our own time!

Got a family? Lost your home and job? Need a place to stay - and a way to get from point to point looking for work? Shucks - a few bucks will get you and yours into shelter that beats cardboard and tin out in the woods - and there are PLENTY of "free" parking spots to stay in all across the USA.

City streets and parking lots may be the "hobo jungles" of OUR day - because we have lots more BAD days ahead for this country than good ones - and worries about our "RV image" may prove to be the LEAST of our concerns...

Rick&Cheryl · 08-10-2010, 07:11 PM

They all need to be more tolerant,,afterall,,they tolerate most any thing in CA.

mythplaced · 08-10-2010, 07:21 PM

Gotta agree...

The Bad Ol days are here again...

BookIIRoadtrash · 08-10-2010, 07:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ruppr

Do homeless people really have RV's?? Are they homeless if they do?? Someone has to pay for license plates, inspections etc., otherwise we're talking abandon vehicles.

ruppr

I am one of America's Homeless,

where does it say you have to be destitute to be homeless....

Me n Slowpoke · 08-10-2010, 08:15 PM

If things in our country doesn't change for the better soon,, you're gonna' see a lot more homeless, destitute, higher crime rate, hunger and the such. When your children are hungry, and no paycheck to cash, it will bring the 'worse' out of the best even the "ecletric" class whether you drive an rv or not.

Possum · 08-10-2010, 11:36 PM

How do people with unsafe vehicles get plates and insurance? If there is no plate showing can't they just be towed as derelict? We have a homeless problem in the town I live in but so far none are living in RV's that I have seen.

Funny i never envisioned my retirement to be one where I had to worry about where I go in my RV and whether or not I would be welcome in some small town I was trying to visit.