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Written by: Guest Commentary
Sean Geary
Sean Geary, who resides in his hometown of Pacifica, was formerly homeless. He was the lead attorney in a class-action lawsuit against Pacifica in 2021 because of a municipal legislation that prohibited RV owners from parking on public streets.
The new executive order instructing states to prosecute homeless individuals and institutionalize persons with mental health issues presents an intriguing conundrum for Sacramento politicians as the brutality of the second Trump administration continues to be felt.
Under the pretense of health and safety, lawmakers have been promoting Assembly Bill 630, a piece of legislation that would make it easier to tow, disassemble, and basically destroy a large number of RVs throughout the state, during the past few months. If approved, the state would enable cities to cut off the last remaining ties to Californians who have already been forced from their homes due to exorbitant rents and compel them to use the punitive, harsh methods that the White House now supports.
Lawmakers ought to oppose AB 630 out of compassion.
For me, this is a very personal matter. I was only able to afford to rent an RV in March 2020, while working two well-paying jobs in downtown San Francisco. I stopped taking my meds when COVID struck. Their reinstatement took over three years. I lost the RV since I had no medicine or a reliable source of revenue for rent. After that, my dog Rex and I spent 15 traumatic months at a shelter where the daily abuse from workers made life intolerable.
It was far worse than living in an RV. I had one hour’s notice to leave, two hours before nightfall, without having had an opportunity to gather my possessions, after speaking out against the harassment. That night, in temperatures as high as forty degrees, we slept on the ground.
After living in a tent for two more months, I was able to find an apartment and obtain disability benefits with the assistance of social service workers.
Automobiles worth $500 or less that are inoperable or abandoned may currently be destroyed by cities and counties after being towed and kept for 30 days. Because many localities label cars unusable merely because their engines won’t start or consider them abandoned even when they are inhabited, this legislation already puts the homes of many individuals at risk. AB 630 significantly expands the number of RVs that are vulnerable to summary towing, storage, and destruction by raising that threshold to $4,000 for RVs.
The majority of the tens of thousands of RVs that are utilized as last-resort shelter will be impacted, as Assemblymember Mark Gonzalez, the bill’s author, recognizes. However, the law would only remove protections and does little to address homelessness itself.
Find out more about the lawmakers this story mentions.
Mark Gonzalez
Democrat, Los Angeles District 54, State Assembly
Although many Californians view RVs as a threat to their health and safety, they are actually their sole surviving haven. Their safety and well-being are directly threatened by the removal of these mobile houses.
Tens of thousands of Californians’ last-resort housing should not be destroyed in order to solve legitimate public safety concerns. When someone’s RV is taken away and disassembled, they lose their ability to cook and store water, as well as protection from the elements, wind, and street hazards. Their autonomy and agency are undermined.
Even after these steps are taken, the same number of police officers will still be responsible for escorting the now more desperate individuals who have lost their homes and privacy.It is extremely upsetting to live one’s private life in public. The situation gets almost intolerable when law enforcement issues tickets and tows vehicles. Basic necessities like washing, heating, finding privacy, getting water, using the restroom, eating, and getting rid of trash only take a few seconds for those who have homes. Each of these chores can take up an entire day for those without shelter.
The people who would be most negatively impacted if this measure were to pass are our fellow community members. People without respite are the ones most impacted by public safety issues.
Raising people is much simpler when we don’t start by bringing them down. Leaders in California should oppose this cruel law and instead concentrate on constructive solutions that make the most of people’s potential in order to address our housing situation.
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