San Mateo cracks down on RV dwellers

Instead, the San Mateo Police Department relies on a homeless outreach team that visits RV dwellers and tries to connect individuals and families to services that could help them secure housing.

But after mounting complaints of their increased presence in areas such as Amphlett Boulevard and Railroad Avenue, the current City Council decided to prioritize a reevaluation of its relaxed approach. The outreach team estimates there are roughly 50 RV dwellers in the city weekly. 

During a meeting June 16, councilmembers agreed to ensure police officers have established contact and discussed services at least twice before issuing a citation, which most likely would not exceed $100 for the first violation and up to $500 for multiple. 

But City Manager Alex Khojikian also noted that punitive measures would only be taken toward those who refuse to accept services, specifically via entering the county’s coordinated care system, which helps link homeless individuals to short- and long-term housing solutions. Services could include case management or entering short-term, transitional housing. It would remain up to law enforcement and the homeless outreach team to determine whether an individual is engaging with the county’s services. 

“You have to be willing to receive the services from the county of San Mateo to work your way into permanent housing specifically,” Khojikian said. “We’re going to allow them to stay where they’re at as long as they're willing to get into the county program and work with our [homeless outreach team].”

Most RV dwellers decline offers to stay at navigation centers, or short-term housing shelters, David Johnson, homeless outreach coordinator with the San Mateo Police Department, said. In some cases, they do not view themselves as homeless, he previously said. 

“We have the issue that a lot of the people living in RVs are very reluctant to give up that private space to go to a congregate shelter,” Johnson said during the meeting.

For those who do decide to accept short-term housing, Khojikian said the city is also looking into a payment program that would temporarily help store an individuals’ vehicle or items, however, details have not been finalized. 

Other cities throughout the Bay Area have also looked into ways to crack down on RV and vehicle dwelling, such as San Francisco and San Jose. The approach has become more commonplace over the past year at the national and state levels as well. Last year’s U.S. Supreme Court case Grants Pass, Oregon v. Johnson allowed jurisdictions to crack down on homeless encampment policies, and Gov. Gavin Newsom issued an executive order encouraging more encampment enforcement. 

“There is a reason people are living in their RVs, and giving out fines are costly, and we want to make sure we are making their lives better and putting them in a safer environment,” Councilmember Danielle Cwirko-Godycki said. 

The city plans to implement a 45-day grace period before starting enforcement.