2 days ago
San Francisco mayor proposes 2-hour parking limit for RVs, expansion of homelessness outreach
San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie unveiled a new proposal Tuesday to restrict long-term parking by recreational vehicles to two hours and expand outreach to unhoused persons living out of their vehicles.
Lurie's plan would restrict parking for large vehicles to two hours city-wide, 24 hours a day and seven days a week. The legislation he proposes would also offer interim or permanent housing to individuals and families sheltering in vehicles, earmarking $13 million over two fiscal years for rapid rehousing, a vehicle buyback program, outreach, and enforcement.
The legislation would also allow homeless persons in RVs a short-term permit to remain parked beyond the two-hour limit if they are actively engaging in the services offered by the city.
"No child should grow up in San Francisco forced to live in a car, and no parent should have to raise their child in those conditions. Under my administration, we are going to give families better options, and we are going to give our communities and small businesses safe and clean streets," said Lurie in a prepared statement. "This legislation combines compassion with accountability, offering a clear path to housing while restoring safety, cleanliness, and accessibility to our streets and public spaces."
Last month, the city conducted an audit of vehicular homelessness and identified 501 large vehicles parked on the streets, with 437 used for dwelling, the Mayor's Office said. In a press release, the office said the city's interagency response to vehicular homelessness, combining outreach, expanded services, and parking enforcement, would restore public spaces while prioritizing the dignity and well-being of people living in their vehicles.
Under the proposal, large vehicles without a "refuge permit" would be cited and potentially towed away. The operations would begin in what the city called "high-impact areas" led by neighborhood street teams led by the city's Department of Emergency Management.
The San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency and Police Department would enforce the parking restrictions when towing services are needed. The SFMTA will introduce companion legislation to its board on the parking enforcement, contingent on the city's Board of Supervisors' passage of the legislation, the Mayor's Office said.
"For far too long, neighborhoods across San Francisco have borne the impacts of unregulated RV encampments - illegal dumping, blocked sidewalks, and public safety concerns," said Rafael Mandelman, Board of Supervisors president in a statement. "This legislation creates a humane pathway for current RV residents to find stable housing, while making it clear that new RV encampments will not be allowed and our streets will not continue to serve as shelter of last resort."
In December, supervisors voted to reverse a ban on RVs from parking overnight on public streets. Critics said the ban would allow authorities to tow RVs and other large vehicles at the agency's discretion, and that the city doesn't have enough housing available for people who are living out of their vehicles.
The ban had been proposed by former Mayor London Breen and approved by the SFMTA in October. It expanded what the city defined as a large recreational vehicle to include mobile homes, box trucks, and other large campers.
"There should be a more comprehensive plan of how to address the fact that so many people, especially families, are forced to live in RVs because they can't afford apartments in San Francisco," Supervisor Dean Preston said at the time.
