RV ban will go to voters in election

Council members decide to take the question to residents in November

MOUNTAIN VIEW >> The fate of a controversial RV ban on narrow city streets now will be decided by voters in November.

The referendum is the result of a door-knocking campaign by more than 100 advocates from the Silicon Valley Democratic Socialists of America and the Housing Justice Coalition of Mountain View, who asked residents to strike down what they call an “inhumane” ordinance.

That ordinance was passed in September and saw Mountain View join East Palo Alto and Berkeley in trying to stop RV camping, passing two ordinances prohibiting oversize vehicle parking on narrow city streets and on streets with bike lanes; only the ban regarding narrow streets is being contested.

Council members faced three options as they walked into a packed council chamber Tuesday night: repeal the ordinance, stage an election in April that would cost about $1.8 million or have a referendum during the general

election in November.

After ruling out an April election — which council members said would be too expensive — the council unanimously agreed to let Mountain View residents decide the fate of the ban and agreed on language for the November ballot.

“I think the reason this is before us is that sometimes we don’t often make the right decision and overcorrect,” said Council member Christopher Clark. “That’s what caused folks to come out so forcefully against this and gather the signatures they gathered. The whole impetus for this is we’ve done everything we can on this, so we need to ask if residents are

willing to go that far.”

But when asked whether council members would sign on to an argument for or against the ordinance — part of the process for having a referendum on city legislation — council members decided to kick the can down the road seeing no true consensus.

Councilwoman Alison Hicks and Councilman Clark said the council shouldn’t take sides, instead offering a fact-based informational document to voters ahead of the election.

Other members like John McAlister and Mayor Margaret Abe-Koga didn’t want to make the decision then but will work to designate three council members for developing, writing and signing the city’s argument.

“I don’t want to be put on the spot,” McAlister said.

“Let’s sit down and deliver this with the full knowledge of the staff. Bring it back to the council after we designate those who will step up.”

Forty-three people representing groups of concerned residents upset with RVs parking in their neighborhoods, members of the Democratic Socialists of America and other housing advocates spoke up on the RV referendum Tuesday, with a majority of them advocating for a November ballot despite coming from different camps.

Shari Emling, who has lived in Mountain View for nine years, said her concern with RVs is that “street dwelling is not an acceptable way to live for everyone” and urged the council for a solution that would focus on RV dwellers who have roots in the city.

“We don’t know the entire truth, but we do know there is a large number from out of Mountain View that should be dealt with by their own city,” Emling said, also criticizing some council members for delaying and blocking what she said could have been an easily workable problem. “The fact is this is just getting worse, and we need a solution. We need to take the money we have and take care of our own. We can’t take care of the entire Peninsula.”

But for longtime Mountain View resident Joan McDonald, the solution isn’t as simple. She said banning RVs from parking in a large part of the city is only pushing people out of the city.

“We need real solutions, not a push-out,” McDonald said.

McDonald also criticized

the city’s safe parking program — which hit a snag a week ago over insurance coverage issues — for not being a solution at all based on its tough rules on RV dwellers and onerous time limitations.

“What we’ve been hearing is all the work that has gone into trying to find safe parking,” McDonald said. “The safe parking was only from 5 p.m. to 9 a.m., and if this went into effect, whatever the safe parking came to be the people would have to be out at 9 a.m. and there would be no place for them to park in Mountain View. Except most also work in Mountain View. They wouldn’t be able to park for work. This makes no sense at all.”

Echoing similar comments made by pro-ban advocates, Councilman McAlister took issue with calling the city’s ordinance a “ban” at all. He urged the media not to call the ordinance a ban, arguing that although some might say it is, the ordinance doesn’t explicitly prohibit all RVs from parking anywhere in the city.

But for former Mountain View Mayor Lenny Siegel, who was instrumental in getting the referendum on the ballot, the word “ban” is warranted.

“We call it a ban because the ordinance, in combination with other restrictions, would outlaw living in motor homes on all but a few streets in Mountain View,” Siegel said.

“Council members tout their efforts to establish ‘safe parking’ lots, but under current rules, households that park in those lots at night would have no place to go during the day.”