Costa Mesa council moves RVs off the street

Lolita Harper

COSTA MESA -- Compact parking spaces are laughable to Bill Folsom.

Although the tiny spaces are virtually obsolete with all the large

sport-utility vehicles on the road today, they were never an option for

the city employee who uses his 25-foot motor home as his primary method

of transportation.

“I became a single father eight years ago, and I gave the kids the

option of whether they wanted to keep the [recreational vehicle] or the

real car, and they chose the RV,” Folsom said.

The modest motor vehicle can be seen in the City Hall parking lot

during the day, or one of the many city sports fields where Folsom

coaches soccer and football in the evening.

Each night, he drives it home to his apartment on Peterson Street,

where he parks it overnight, only to get up the next morning and leave

for work as a mechanic for the city.

An ordinance passed Monday by the City Council may alter Folsom’s

daily routine.

Council members voted 4 to 1 -- with Councilman Gary Monahan

dissenting -- to follow neighboring Newport Beach’s lead and ban

recreational and commercial vehicles from parking on residential streets.

The new law provides a 24-hour exception if the owners are loading or

unloading their vehicle, Costa Mesa Police Lt. Carl Schuler said.

Schuler said “the majority of enforcement action originates from

resident complaints.” The Police Department receives about 30 to 40

complaint calls every weekend, mostly reports of unsightliness but some

about possible dangers stemming from not being able to see around the

large vehicles.

Folsom said he worried the city was stepping into the role of mediator

for neighbors. Much of the problem could be resolved by people just

talking to one another, he added.

“Nobody has ever told me they have a problem with my RV, but if they

did -- and we talked -- I’m sure we could come to a reasonable solution.

Instead they call the police,” Folsom said.

He also said the city is sending the wrong message by addressing

aesthetic concerns with large vehicles. The fact that “motor homes just

look bad” to some people should not be the issue, he said.

“It is not right to form negative opinions based on appearance.

Character is what counts, and that’s what I’ve always tried to teach my

kids,” Folsom said.

A handful of other residents who own recreational vehicles addressed

the council with concerns about the parking limitations. Many said the

24-hour period for loading and unloading was too short, considering the

large amount of work -- including cleaning -- it takes to prepare for a

trip.

Mesa Verde resident Cindy Brenneman favors the ordinance, saying

police must have a way to cite people who blatantly take advantage of the

city’s existing 72-hour rule.

But resident Rory Hughes said the council’s latest action is only a

precursor for more restrictive ordinances in the future.

“Last year, they said they wouldn’t ban them. This year, it’s on the

street, and next year it’ll be in our driveways,” Hughes said.

Hughes added that Costa Mesa officials are acting like leaders of a

homeowners’ association by monitoring and regulating aesthetics of the

community. The homeowner said he chose to live in Costa Mesa because it

is filled with a wide variety of people, houses and businesses.

“If I wanted to live in a city like Irvine or Newport Beach, I would

have moved there,” he said.

Monahan said he did not support the ordinance because he agreed with

various speakers who said Costa Mesa is great because of its character

and individuality.

“I don’t like the road we are going down,” Monahan said.

* Lolita Harper covers Costa Mesa. She may be reached at (949)

574-4275 or by e-mail at o7 [email protected] .