Vehicle Residents Succeed in Appealing Overnight RV Ban

Latest

Protesters at San Francisco City Hall say ‘No Poverty Tows!’ and ‘Don’t Take Our Homes!’. / Photo Sarah Menefee

San Francisco CA. On December 10, for the first time in its history, the San Francisco Board of Supervisors overturned a decision passed by the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Authority (SFMTA) Board of Directors that would have banned oversized vehicles citywide.

The move prevented the ban from taking effect. It would have targeted streets in the Lake Merced area after vehicle-dwelling San Franciscans were swept from the area earlier this year.

Lukas Illa, Human Rights Organizer with the Coalition on Homelessness, speaks at a rally against the oversize vehicle ban. / Photo Sarah Menefee


Initially passed on October 1, the original resolution granted the director of transportation sole authority over restricting oversized vehicles parked on specific city streets from 12 a.m. to 6 a.m., punishable by tow if the residents don’t accept shelter—regardless of whether shelter space is available.

Current law requires the SFMTA Board of Directors to pass a separate resolution per street in order to restrict overnight parking of oversized vehicles, after holding public hearings. .

Proposed by departing Mayor London Breed, the resolution would have eroded that public input, leaving it to the SFMTA director to assign at will. The SFMTA board passed the resolution on a 6-1 vote.

Enforcement of the ban was paused after the End Poverty Tows Coalition filed an appeal with the Board of Supervisors in late October, pending a decision by the lawmaking body.

In the coalition’s presentation, Gabriel Medina, executive director of La Raza Community Resource Center, urged the supervisors to reject the resolution and instead focus on investing in infrastructure that directly supports vehicularly housed people.

“We need to prioritize and invest in sustainable solutions that work,” Medina said, “such as culturally and linguistically competent engagement to get people housed and provide appropriate services; targeted services to meet needs, such as fixing vehicles; RV and mobile home parks; [and] safe parking sites, including community self-run sites.”

After End Poverty Tows’ presentation, members of the public were invited to speak in support of the appeal and the overturning of the ban. About 50 people lined up to ask for the ban to be overturned, including many RV residents who expressed their experiences facing harassment by city workers and housed neighbors alike.

“I live in fear and I feel like I cannot trust anyone,” Jorge Rivas, a RV resident who faced assault for living in his vehicle, told the Supervisors in Spanish through a translator. “I would like to know where it is where I can actually live.”

The SFMTA presented a rebuttal, but no one in public comment spoke in favor of the ban.

Once the coalition gave a three-minute response, Supervisor Dean Preston spoke in support of the community members who shared public comment, calling the City’s infrastructure to support the 90% of unsheltered families living in vehicles “inadequate.” The board passed Preston’s motion to reverse the SFMTA resolution conditional on written findings by the City Attorney’s office.

Supervisor Rafael Mandelman was the only member who spoke in favor of the SFMTA’s resolution. He spoke to his constituents’ demands “that they be able to use their public spaces, that they not be privatized in a completely unregulated way.”

The ban was overturned on a 7-3 vote, with Supervisors Joel Engardio, Matt Dorsey and Mandelman voting in opposition.

GLIDE policy manager Eleana Binder applauded the successful appeal as a human rights victory. “This decision reaffirms that we cannot solve homelessness by hiding it or punishing those experiencing it,” she said. “The Board of Supervisors has sent a clear message: We need solutions rooted in dignity, equity, and investment—not in mass displacement and criminalization.”

(Reprinted from the Street Sheet, a Publication of the Coalition on Homelessness)

+ Articles by this author

Free to republish but please credit the People's Tribune. Visit us at www.peoplestribune.org, email peoplestribune@gmail.com, or call 773-486-3551.

The People’s Tribune brings you articles written by individuals or organizations, along with our own reporting. Bylined articles reflect the views of the authors. Unsigned articles reflect the views of the editorial board. Please credit the source when sharing: ©2024 peoplestribune.org. Please donate to help us keep bringing you voices of the movement. Click here. We’re all volunteer, no paid staff.

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here

Featured

‘We Need Urgent Global Climate Action’

Eighty-nine percent of people worldwide want their governments to do more to address the global climate crisis. Conference on tipping points says situation is urgent. Meanwhile U.S. govt does more to boost fossil fuel forms of energy.

May Day 2025: United We Will Win

International Worker’s Day is celebrated on May 1st around the world. Today, the entire U.S. working class, of which immigrants comprise an integral part, is under attack. The defense of immigrants is vital to the defense of the entire working class.

White School Officer Pepper-sprayed and Kneed Black Beaumont, TX Student, Complaint says. Will Feds Act?

A 6-second video, recorded by a teacher and reviewed by the Texas Observer, shows an officer grabbing a student’s hair, kneeing her in the face, and knocking the 100-pound girl on her back.

Pope Francis Dies After Easter Plea to End War in Gaza

"In his final public message, Pope Francis decried the “terrible conflict” in Gaza.

Bring Union Brother Kilmar Home: His Deportation Is an Attack on All of Us

The deportation of union brother Kilmar Abrego Garcia is a gut punch to the labor movement, a slap in the face to every worker who dares to organize.

More from the People's Tribune