San Francisco bans long-term RV living in citywide crackdown
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Mobile homes are parked along Evans Avenue. Photo: Lea Suzuki/San Francisco Chronicle via Getty Images
San Francisco on Tuesday voted to ban long-term RV living under new stricter parking limits that city leaders say will help clean streets and connect unhoused residents to shelters.
Why it matters: The crackdown is an effort by the city to clean up public spaces, but homeless advocates say it could push out hundreds of residents who have nowhere else to go.
Driving the news: Dozens of people crowded the front steps of City Hall on Tuesday before the Board of Supervisors passed the measure in a 9-2 vote.
The big picture: Supporters of the measure say oversized vehicles aren't meant for permanent housing and argue the city must provide a long-term solution.
Yes, but: Critics say it could displace working-class families and low-income people of color who rely on RVs as a last resort.
- District 9 Supervisor Jackie Fielder and District 10 Supervisor Shamann Walton voted no due to such concerns and lack of sufficient shelter space.
State of play: Parking limits for any vehicle longer than 22 feet or 7 feet high will be restricted citywide, forcing people to move every two hours.
- RV dwellers registered with the city as of May are exempt from the rules if they accept city housing and give up their RV when it's time to move.
- Mayor Daniel Lurie has set aside $13 million over the next two fiscal years for housing subsidies, outreach, enforcement and a vehicle buyback program at $175 per foot.
What they're saying: "This legislation combines compassion with accountability, offering a clear path to housing while restoring safety, cleanliness and accessibility to our streets and public spaces," Lurie said when introducing the measure.
Threat level: Jennifer Friedenbach, executive director of the Coalition on Homelessness, warns the new rule could displace residents in about 427 vehicles, many of whom are immigrants with children.
- "Folks are really already scared, so it's adding this next level of fear... It just couldn't have come at a worse time," she added.
Zoom in: RV dwellers say their vehicles are one of the last few affordable options in a city where housing and cost of living expenses outpace wages.
- Zach Bollinger, 41, has lived in his RV near Lake Merced since 2017. He drives rideshares and does freelance photography, but still doesn't earn enough for even a modest studio.
- "The reason why we live in an RV is for a sense of housing security, because rents are so unaffordable and shelters are not housing," he told Axios.
What's next: The new rules are expected to go into effect this fall.