San Francisco Could Ban Overnight RV Parking

In another move that criminalizes people who are experiencing homelessness, San Francisco is considering a ban on overnight parking of recreational vehicles on the city’s streets.

As Tara Campbell explains in an article for ABC 7 News, “The ban prohibits RVs and other oversized vehicles from parking on city-managed streets from midnight to 6 a.m. and gives the SFMTA the go-ahead to tow vehicles in violation after offering shelters.”

Families who live in their vehicles say the ban will force them to move frequently and lose stability, which is particularly important for school-aged children.

Currently, the city offers one designated safe parking site that can accommodate a few dozen RVs. “Homeless advocates are calling on the city to open more safe parking sites, saying it's a much better step than the ban.”

The mayor’s office says there is no policy change as of now, and the proposal would have to pass a vote by the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA) board.

Unhoused people around the country face increasingly punitive responses in the wake of a U.S. Supreme Court decision that allows cities to bar people from sleeping in public spaces even when other shelter is not available.