Neighborhood organizations sue Mountain View for ‘unconstitutional’ RV parking ban

Community advocacy organizations filed a lawsuit against the City of Mountain View in federal court after the city council passed an ordinance banning oversized vehicles from parking on public roads. The lawsuit was filed on behalf of the city’s RV and oversized vehicle residents who would be affected by the new regulation.

The ordinance, later upheld by Measure C by Mountain View voters, went into effect June 30 and prohibits parking of “oversized vehicles” on streets 12 m wide or less for loading and unloading . Mountain View Police are authorized to tow vehicles that violate the measure if the signage is up.

Mountain View officials have until September 10 to respond to the lawsuit, which was filed by a coalition of groups and companies including the Law Foundation of Silicon Valley, ACLU Foundation of Northern California, Disability Rights Advocates, Hewlett Packard Enterprise and King & Spalding.

“I believe our laws are a reflection of our society that should protect, not punish or harm, vulnerable populations,” said Sam Diamant, attorney for King & Spalding.

The City of Mountain View referred The Daily to a July 14 statement saying the city is investigating the lawsuit and will continue to “conduct multi-faceted contacts and provide information about resources available in Mountain View.” A city spokesman added that the installation of signs in line with Measure C “is expected to begin” in the coming weeks.

Diamant called the regulation “unconstitutional and morally wrong”. The coalition’s complaint said the ban violated the “rights of vulnerable people who were forced to shelter in mobile homes to stay in the city and gain access to medical care, schools, jobs and other resources.” available to them in their community ”.

Although the lawsuit is against Mountain View, Law Foundation attorney Michael Trujillo said it could impact efforts to find affordable housing across the Bay Area.

“We fear this will become a tactic in other cities and that is one of the reasons we brought the lawsuit – to show that these types of regulations are not a constitutional approach to the housing and housing issue Housing insecurity and homelessness in the US address the Bay Area, “he said.

Disability rights attorney Thomas Zito said the lawsuit’s efforts are in line with the DRA’s mission to ensure equal rights for disabled communities across the country.

“People with disabilities are over-represented in the homeless community,” said Zito. “That is why it is of particular interest to our organization. We try to stand up for those who in this situation are not only the people with disabilities, but also the people who have the least political power in this situation. “