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Fullerton Can't Enforce RV Parking Ban, OC Judge Rules
A judge has blocked the city of Fullerton, pictured in an overview shot, from banning RV parking on its streets.
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The city of Fullerton has been blocked from enforcing its RV parking ban by an Orange County Superior Court judge.
The court issued a preliminary injunction Friday in a lawsuit filed against the city by the advocacy group Housing Is a Human Right Orange County and several Fullerton residents. They argue that the RV parking ban is overly broad and discriminates against people living in their vehicles, especially those with disabilities.
What does the parking rule say?
The rule prohibits RVs and any vehicle "equipped for human habitation" from parking on city streets or other public property unless they have a temporary permit. Those permits are only given — for a fee — to residents or visitors of residents.
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In court documents, the city noted that 164 warnings and fines had been issued under the RV ban since enforcement began some two years ago. The city said 11 RVs had been towed but some of them were also violating other parking rules.
The court documents also note that one of the plaintiffs in the case had racked up $216 in fines under the RV parking ban. The man was a long-time Fullerton resident who moved into an RV after his girlfriend died and he could no longer afford rent.
Is there a place in Fullerton where people can sleep in vehicles?
Fullerton is one of many Orange County cities that restricts sleeping in vehicles or parking overnight on city streets. It's illegal to park on most Fullerton streets from 2-5 a.m.
In late 2019, Fullerton started Orange County's first-ever safe parking program where people could sleep in their cars. But the city canceled it at the end of 2020, citing lack of funding.
Orange County has yet to publicly release a full report on its latest, 2022 point-in-time count of people experiencing homelessness. The county's 2019 report found that one in five unsheltered adults were sleeping in vehicles.
Newly released results from Los Angeles' annual count show more than 14,000 vehicles there are used as homes.
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A trial in the Fullerton RV parking case is scheduled for September 2024.
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