Salinas, California’s start of a new parking ordinance, which affects where RVs can park, continues to shift. Last week, Salinas joined a few other county cities by passing an ordinance that prohibits the parking of over-sized vehicles (read: RVs) overnight on city streets.
Enforcement seems to have options at this point, ranging from a warning to a criminal citation. Officials cited health and safety measures in banning RVs from camping on county roads. Though the ban is aimed at RVs, it also would include any vehicle or trailer in excess of 20 feet long or over seven feet in height.
The issue was hotly debated in council chambers and was passed by a 4-3 vote. Discussions also included the possibility of creating a fenced area on the old Fort Ord property (that would include portable toilets and trash dumpsters) where RVs could “park” overnight.
The article, published in the Monterey Herald, also included estimates, one of which was reported to cost $105,000 according to Michael Fechter, program director for the safe parking program in Marina, whose budget would need additional financial support that would have to be provided by the county.
The Monterey County Safe Parking Program points out that so far five RVers have found live-in work that permits them to park on county property in exchange for performing work, while others have found other work, and some have been directed to physical and mental health programs. The program, according to officials, has come in under budget and without incident.
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I like how the counties answer to every problem is to put it in Marina! The Counties Sewage, Counties Garbage, Counties Hazmat ,and nuclear waste, Counties grey water, and now the Counties gutter trash. How convenient to push all this on the residents of Marina simply because they are to small to fight back! Shame on the County supervisors and the people that own them !
I presume that city streets includes all city paved roads and back streets around and behind all residential and businesses. I also presume it includes delivery trucks, 18 wheelers and their trailers, and anything else on wheels over their 7×20 limits. They would not want to discriminate. What would happen if all truck drivers stopped making deliveries to city business in fear that they may be ticketed or arrested should they even have a breakdown? The cities have enough problems with vagrants living in doorways, cars and now older RVs. They just cannot tell the difference between a true RVer tourist bring in money to visit their town and a vagrant. Shame on them. A true RVer does not want to spend a night in an unsafe area where vagrants are the norm. We RVers have too much to lose, know the difference and do not want to become the next crime victim which will cost the city more in the long run. Enforcing vehicle insurance and registration regulations might be a better way of tackling this problem legally. Impounding the vehicle for said violations will get them off the road and send a message to others.