Sunnyvale has taken the first step to prevent oversized vehicles clogging up the streets, passing regulations that aim to punish “vanlording” and get compliance from those living in RVs.
At its most recent meeting June 2, the Sunnyvale City Council unanimously passed newly minted regulations designed to ramp up parking enforcement. The ordinance requires RVs to move 1,000 or more feet from its space every 72 hours and prohibits it from returning to the same spot within 24 hours.
In addition to attempting to prevent residents from living in inoperable RVs, trailers, van conversions and campers, the ordinance also institutes stricter rules for “vanlording.” The ordinance fines “vanlords” for advertising, renting, loaning, reserving or helping someone live in such a vehicle.
Sunnyvale Department of Public Safety (DPS) Deputy Chief Dave Sakurai said the city has between 120 and 150 known RVs, according to an informal count by vehicle abatement. For the first month, he said, DPS will perform outreach and education.
“The goal through this period is compliance through awareness, not enforcement,” he said. “We want to receive voluntary compliance and provide appropriate resources for outreach.”
However, the city will have Family Tow available to haul off vehicles as a last resort. Coordination with the city’s housing department and service provider, We Hope, the goal is to help those living in RVs find other housing.
Sakurai said the policy “balances accountability and fairness.”
Many saw the issue connected to homelessness and the city’s inability to settle on a safe parking program.
Public commenters supported the ordinance, but many said it lacked strict enough penalties to address the problem,
Byron Renfro, president of Orchard Commercial, said RVs gravitate to cities that create environments friendly toward them. Deterring RV inhabitants from parking in Sunnyvale requires “strong laws” like those in Menlo Park and San Jose.
Jason Peery, with Peery Partners, said the uptick in RV parking is a result of neighboring cities getting “serious” about the problem, instituting ordinances that were enforced and had stringent consequences.
“These encampments didn’t appear in Sunnyvale by accident,” he said. “You don’t attract a problem through bad luck. You attract it through weak leadership.”
Others shared their concerns, saying that the droves of RVs parking near businesses creates numerous problems including trash and safety.
Lisa Dolev, CEO Qylur Intelligence Systems, said her company had planned a hackathon but called it off because of RV parking, worried it would “taint” the company’s brand.
City Manager Tim Kirby said the city has been tracking calls for service relating to RV parking and they have been “pretty significant.”
“We don’t want to put ourselves in a situation where we’re just doing things to move the problem around,” Kirby said. “We want to find a more permanent solution.”
Many saw the ordinance adjacent to the larger issue of safe parking, but Kirby was clear that the new regulations will not solve the underlying problem of the cost of housing.
Sarah Johnson-Rios, assistant city manager, said the city’s new customer relationship management (CRM) platform will focus on highest volume requests for service and will make improvements citywide.
Council Member Alysa Cisneros called the problem “a stark visual representation of the two Silicon Valleys.”
“There is something not right with the fact that this gap exists,” she said. “It is our job to work within this contradiction.”
Although she called the effort “humane, intentional, strategic,” she said such an approach often comes at the cost of expedience.
The council unanimously approved the ordinance, upping the maximum fine for “vanlording” to $1,000. The ordinance comes back for final approval at a subsequent meeting. A 30-day outreach period will proceed DPS enforcement of the new rules.
Sunnvale Council Consent Calendar Spending
The council approved the following spending in via the consent calendar:
- A $1.07 million contract with Columbia Electric, Inc. for the Sunnyvale/California Avenue traffic signal project.
- A $375,000 purchase order with Univar Solutions, USA for sodium hydroxide.
- A $6,000 payment to cover city traffic enforcement for the Art & Wine Festival.
The council meets again at 7 p.m. Tuesday, June 16 in the Council Chambers at City Hall, 456 W. Olive Ave. in Sunnyvale.
To submit public comments ahead of the meeting, visit http://Sunnyvale.ca.gov/PublicComments; Meeting online link: https://sunnyvale-ca-gov.zoom.us/j/96111580540; meeting call-in telephone number: 833-548-0276, meeting ID: 961 1158 0540
Contact David Alexander at d.todd.alexander@gmail.com
Previous Sunnyvale City Council Meetings:
Sunnyvale Stays its Hand on Increasing Eviction Payments
Sunnyvale Safe Parking Continues to Languish, Council’s Patience Wears Thin
Sunnyvale Creates Stronger Safeguards to Police Surveillance
