In July 2024, the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA) confirmed that its enforcement measures against recreational vehicles (RVs) would not include towing. SFMTA liaison Joél Ramos noted in an email that the hope was that the mere threat of parking citations would prompt residents to move their RVs.
However, when ticketing failed to produce the desired results, city officials turned to a street repaving project as a means to clear RVs under the guise of safety and logistics. Internal emails revealed that there was a political urgency behind the project that the city had not openly communicated.
The result was a notable eviction of families from the area, and news coverage leaned towards framing these displacements as driven by urban development projects rather than policy enforcement. Just days before a July 2024 deadline for clearing RVs from Winston Drive, more than 20 RVs moved to a vacant private lot near the San Francisco Zoo in a bid to compel the city to secure alternative parking options. They were soon directed to Zoo Road by police and park rangers, a location that would soon face similar enforcement strategies.
Following this, the SFMTA began enforcing the 72-hour parking rule on Zoo Road, despite internal skepticism regarding its applicability. Chadwick Lee, a policy manager at SFMTA, questioned whether the rule was relevant in this context, stating that the rule is designed to prevent abandoned vehicles. Scott Edwards, the Director of Parking Enforcement, added that if a vehicle moved even slightly, it could not be cited or towed.
To navigate around this issue, SFMTA initiated curb painting and restriping on Zoo Road as part of the enforcement efforts, leading advocates to wonder about the necessity behind such actions. A local coalition voiced concerns about families previously promised safe parking options being evicted once again without a feasible alternative.
As enforcement measures began, internal emails predicted that displacing families would simply scatter them further across the city. Hank Wilson, a policy manager at SFMTA, had alerted city officials as early as March 2023 that restricting RV parking would lead to displaced residents relocating to neighboring blocks. This proved accurate, as RVs from Winston and Zoo Road soon appeared around other neighborhoods in San Francisco, eliciting complaints from residents and prompting calls for new restrictions from local supervisors.
One anonymous constituent articulated this concern in a complaint to District 4 Supervisor Joe Engardio, stating that the removal of RVs from Winston had merely shifted the problem elsewhere. Another city official acknowledged the need for a comprehensive citywide plan to address the burgeoning issue of large vehicle displacement instead of merely pushing them from one area to another.
Following the situation at Winston and Zoo Road, the SFMTA adopted a similar enforcement approach across San Francisco. By December 2024, 19th Avenue emerged as the next target. Officials outlined a refined strategy that included legislation for parking restrictions, multilingual sign postings, a grace period before enforcement, and collaboration with agencies specializing in homelessness management. However, they recognized the limitations of their approach, with one official lamenting the increased congestion elsewhere in the city.
Spokespersons from SFMTA indicated that the agency was committed to working alongside the Department of Homelessness and Supportive Housing, the SFPD, and the Mayor’s Office to ensure residents living in vehicles could access available city resources and services.
Throughout the eviction process, immigrant families bore the brunt of the impact. The Arostegui family was offered a city subsidy to move into Parkmerced, where their rent would be income-based for up to three years. Despite this support, Angela Arostegui expressed concerns about the looming timeline and the urgency to secure more permanent housing.
Other family members, however, were not so fortunate. Angela’s cousin, Marlon, remains in an RV nearby, while her nephew, Lisandro, faced eviction and eventually relocated to Las Vegas after giving up his RV. Lisandro reflected on the emotional toll of having to leave the support system provided by family while living in close proximity to each other.
The Rosales family now grapples with their own impending eviction. Verónica Cañas and her mother, Eusebia, were similarly approached about the subsidy program for Parkmerced but face pressures to swiftly increase their rent, leaving them extremely anxious about finding stable employment and housing.
Eusebia lamented what might be their fate if they lose their rented space, indicating that returning to RV living would be their only option.
Angela Arostegui described the unrelenting pressure from city workers, which left families feeling cornered. She shared, “The city has us at the brink of the abyss. First on Winston, they gave us 4-hour parking rules. Then on Zoo Road, there wasn’t a day without a ticket or a knock on the door.”
While some families managed to secure subsidized rentals at Parkmerced, many RV residents from Winston Drive are left uncertain about their parking futures. One Uber and Lyft driver from Brazil, Marcivon Oliviera, expressed disillusionment, stating that residents were now parking in Palo Alto and are forced to continually search for new parking options every 72 hours.
In response to ongoing criticism and the repercussions of these evictions, Mayor Daniel Lurie announced a comprehensive new policy designed to expand the enforcement tactics used on Winston Drive into a citywide directive. This new legislation, dubbed “Breaking the Cycle,” promises an allocation of $13 million towards housing subsidies, a vehicle buyback initiative, and dedicated outreach teams.
This proposal would institute 24/7 two-hour parking limits for large vehicles throughout the city. Supporters of the measure advocate that it balances accountability and compassion, yet critics argue that it formalizes an enforcement-driven model that has already displaced RV families, posing a risk of exacerbating the housing crisis even further.
image source from：https://www.kqed.org/news/12043940/sfs-rv-crackdown-backfired-6-takeaways-from-el-tecolotes-investigation
