Former Mountain View Mayor Lenny Siegel launched a referendum campaign Oct. 22 to overturn recently approved city ordinances imposing parking restrictions on RVs and other “oversized vehicles.”
Siegel is a vehement opponent of the new ordinances, which the council finalized at its Oct. 22 meeting.
One ordinance prohibits oversized vehicle parking where there are bike lanes. The second ordinance, the subject of the referendum, prohibits oversized vehicle parking on narrow streets – the definition of “narrow” described as 40 feet or less.
Siegel contends many of these streets “safely support motorhome parking today.” Combined, the ordinances ban RV parking on nearly all Mountain View streets.
Siegel, who also recently announced his candidacy for council in 2020, sees the new ordinance as an attempt to remove residents who have been living in the parked RVs off the streets. City officials said they introduced the ordinances for public safety concerns, but advocates for vehicle dwellers see the move as a response to residents who see the RVs as a blight on the city.
If supporters can collect approximately 3,700 signatures from registered voters in 30 days, a referendum could be placed on the 2020 ballot. It would need a simple majority to pass. If these signatures are validated, the council would be required to suspend the ordinance in the meantime.
“We are confident that the majority of Mountain View voters will agree that this near-total ban on street parking for motorhomes is counterproductive,” Siegel said. “Motorhome residents have deep connections to our city as employees, students in our schools, and retirees. They have found a way to survive our housing crisis and have sought out locations that have a low impact on city residents.”
