Residents will vote on the proposed ban on the extended parking of mobile homes on Mountain View streets in November 2020. Originally voted on by the city council, it was added to next year’s ballot after around 100 volunteers from the Mountain View Housing Justice Coalition gathered almost 5,000 signatures petitioning the council to repeal the bill or set up a referendum vote.

For the 200 individuals and families who can’t afford the high housing prices of the city and have to resort to life in RVs, this means no action from the city, originally planning to take effect in the summer of 2020, can occur until a decision has been made.

The goal of the ban, as described by the city council, is to resolve issues described to be caused by mobile homes, including parking in inappropriate areas and obscuring drivers. Other complaints of residents include RVs’ contribution to environmental problems with the amount of waste they produce.

We’ve rooted our entire lives here.

This petition was organized by the Mountain View Housing Justice Coalition, whose goals are, among other things, are “to protect vehicle residents against harassment and exclusion,” according to their mission statement at mvhousingjustice.org.

The Oracle previously covered the effect the ban would have on students who live in RVs, like junior Emmanuel Navarro. It would ultimately end up preventing affected students from attending the district.

“If we were to get kicked out, me and my family would probably have to move to another city, and that would suck… we’ve rooted our entire lives here,” Navarro said.

Graphic by Julia Wagner

*This is an update to the Oracle’s front-page story on the proposed RV ban and its effect on the school in Volume 39, Issue one.

