A NEW law is set to be enforced to prohibit overnight parking of RVs on certain public streets.
The parking regulations will roll out on November 1 in San Francisco as lawmakers seek to combat the escalating homelessness in the city.
Beginning November 1, large RVs and trailers parked from midnight to 6 am on city streets where a dedicated sign is posted face being towed by parking officials.
Parking enforcement officers can tow RVs or trailers without a warrant if the occupant declines shelter and housing services offered by city officials.
Before the new bill was passed, officials were only allowed to tow an RV or trailer with a proper warrant.
The new policy will aim to slow down the mounting homeless population in the city and help those in need.
“It really is truly a service-first approach,” San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency Director of Streets Viktoriya Wise said during a board meeting on Tuesday.
“But what my colleagues found is that until there’s very clear and meaningful enforcement, such as having a vehicle towed, people don’t always want to accept shelter or services.”
City officials have designed a plan to enforce the new overnight parking ban on about one block a month.
Sign installation will begin to roll out on designated blocks.
‘INHUMANE POLICY’
However, opposition has blasted the new enforcement, saying it unfairly targets low-income and immigrant families who are homeless.
“I’m deeply saddened and deeply upset that [Breed] has put forth this cruel, inhumane ban,” Laura Valdez, the executive director of Mission Action, a shelter and housing service program, told the San Francisco Examiner.
“This ban needs to be exposed for what it is – it is turning our backs on families, on children, on people who are our neighbors, who have been part of our community.”
One woman living in an RV for the past six months after her landlord sold her previous home fears potentially losing her only home.
“I’m especially afraid of getting our RV taken away and then paying that towing fine,” the woman told KRON-TV.
“So long as we keep the area clean and we’re able to move to where we need to move, then I don’t think they should be out there harassing us every other day.”
The Coalition on Homelessness voiced their frustration over the new policy.
“[The SFMTA is] making folks give up the only monetary asset they have for temporary shelter when offering no long-term solutions – and again – not investing in the infrastructure,” Lukas Illa, an organizer for the COH, told the outlet.
“If we had five safe parking sites, that would be a completely different story… We have one.”
What to do if your car is towed
Wrongfully or not, retrieving a towed vehicle can be a hassle.
If your vehicle is towed after parking in a “No Parking” zone or other legitimate reason, there are a few steps to take to get it back.
Steps to take when your car is towed:
- Try to figure out why your car was towed. Did you not see a posted “No Parking” sign? Did you miss a car payment? Did you return to a lot where you have unpaid citations? Finding the reason can narrow down the phone numbers to dial.
- Locate the vehicle. Most states, cities, or counties require towing companies to leave some form of contact information via a posted sign or sent by mail.
- Recovery dates and times depend on the company that towed the vehicle, but those times will be posted to the website or can be recited by a representative.
- Pay the fees. Be careful to be as prompt as possible, as some tow yards may charge storage fees by the day.
If you feel your vehicle was wrongfully towed, contesting the action can be done with the following steps:
- Be prompt – many states have a small window of time where it’s acceptable to file a complaint against a company that wrongfully towed the vehicle.
- Gather supporting documents: photos, emails, receipts, police reports, and witness statements if applicable. The more evidence, the better.
- Get familiar with your local laws, as laws for towing companies vary per state.
- Try speaking with the towing company. Sometimes it may have been a simple oversight, and the matter can be resolved quickly.
- Contact the Justice of the Peace in your area, as they may have more insight or resources to help. They are often utilized for towing cases.
- Talk to a lawyer. Many lawyers have free case consultations, and depending on the case, it may be worth it to utilize a lawyer.
Source: Oregon Department of Justice, National General, Rak Law Firm
