(The Center Square) – Over 1,000 RVs in San Jose being lived in will be towed in the coming months unless the owners are able to move them – which is impossible for many individuals as the RVs are unable to drive and legal parking options are limited. Additionally, if their RV is towed, they will be left without shelter.
This pilot program has been spearheaded by San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan through the Oversized and Lived-In Vehicle Enforcement (OLIVE) program’s efforts to clear out the large RV encampments that line streets in “sensitive areas” which the mayor’s office determines as being near schools, waterways and interim housing facilities. The project received a budget allocation of $1.5 million with an additional $1.8 million for ongoing program funding.
“With the new year comes a new plan for getting a handle on the overwhelming number of oversized and lived-in vehicles on city streets,” Mahan said. “Compassion without accountability will not create the change neighbors across San Jose need and deserve. We’ll also be requiring that people come indoors by establishing no encampment zones and no parking zones in select areas to preserve our progress and ensure our public spaces are available for everyone to enjoy.”
However, increased interim housing options and legal RV parking areas have not yet been created. The city currently has one “safe parking site” at the Santa Teresa VTA light rail station which has reached capacity. The new Berryessa site – a 6.3-acre lot that can fit 85 vehicles – was supposed to open in 2024, but has faced delays with construction. The city says they are also working to create 1,000 new interim housing placements over the next year, but at least 20 vehicle owners will need to relocate in the next two weeks.
OLIVE has established 30 sites that will be vacated during the pilot program – the first to be addressed is Chynoweth Ave. with outreach beginning this week. Vehicle owners will receive a notice that they need to move their vehicle before it is towed and be provided with the date enforcement will start – about one to two weeks later.
The confirmed areas that will be designated as temporary tow-away zones are Chynoweth Ave. (eastbound and westbound), Boynton Ave., Fallingtontree Dr. (northside and southside), Wonderama Dr., Las Plumas Ave., Educational Park Dr., Schulte Dr., Berger Dr., Industrial Ave., Marbury Rd., N 15th St., Royal Ave. and Sierra Rd.
While they haven’t taken action on this specific issue, the American Civil Liberties Union Foundation of Northern California filed a class action lawsuit with the Legal Aid Society of Mateo County and Disability Rights Advocates in 2021 against the City of Pacifica for banning RV parking within city limits.
“It’s not surprising that as inequality and the housing crisis get worse, people are searching for alternative ways to keep a roof over their head,” said Shirley Gibson, Directing Attorney at the Legal Aid Society of San Mateo County, in a statement at the time. “RVs provide shelter and safety for those who could not otherwise afford it. Pacifica’s ban is a cruel, unconstitutional, and discriminatory attempt to shift their housing responsibilities onto other cities.”
The groups filed the lawsuit on behalf of five plaintiffs who were affected by this law and felt that they would have no options if their vehicle was towed.
“If my RV got towed, I would not have the money to pay the tow and storage charges,” said plaintiff 44-year-old Jared Carr. “I would likely be forced into a tent or a sleeping bag on the street.”
“The RV ban has prevented me from moving forward in my life,” said plaintiff Sean Geary who has been diagnosed with bipolar disorder. “I am afraid to leave my RV and my dog to take a bus to go to the doctor because I’m afraid of getting towed. I don’t feel like I can leave my RV for any length of time, and it’s preventing me from getting services I really need.”
A map of the areas to be affected by San Jose’s OLIVE pilot program can be found here.