Yerservi M., 34, reclined his seat and tried to nap inside his Prius, the car he also uses for Uber shifts. Parked next to him was his RV, where his wife, Katia S., 30, tidied up as her pregnant belly pressed against her shirt. The couple will welcome their first child in less than a month, but right now, they’re worried about whether they’ll still have a home.
San Francisco began enforcing its new two-hour parking policy for RVs and other large vehicles on Nov. 1. The only vehicles exempt from the rules are those covered by the city’s Large Vehicle Refuge Permit, created for residents experiencing vehicular homelessness who had their RVs parked in the city by May 31, 2025.
The permit grants protection from towing and citations. But some immigrants and families say they meet residency requirements, yet are still being denied for reasons they cannot resolve: inoperable vehicles, expired registrations, failed smog tests or missing paperwork from previous owners. Several told El Tecolote they submitted every document they could, yet were still rejected.
According to data reported by the San Francisco Standard, the city counted about 80 unpermitted large vehicles as of Nov. 5. Meanwhile, public records obtained by El Tecolote show that a city survey from May found 82 large vehicles may be inoperable. El Tecolote reached out to the Department of Emergency Management for an updated count of unpermitted RVs, but did not receive a response after multiple attempts.
While the permit offers a temporary reprieve for vulnerable residents, it lasts only six months, with extensions available at the discretion of the SFMTA’s Director of Transportation. Ultimately, the city’s goal includes eliminating visible signs of homelessness on city streets altogether.
For residents unable to obtain the permit, however, the policy leaves them with no path to maintain their only shelter, accelerating the risk of towing, displacement and deeper instability for their families.
‘Where are we going to come up with that kind of money?’: A pregnant couple fights for appeal
The couple’s first warning came early in the morning on Nov. 6, when city officials knocked on their door ‘aggressively’ during a sweep operation in the Bayview-Hunters Point neighborhood. They threatened to tow their RV, which was inoperable and lacked an up-to-date registration. Yerservi said he pleaded with officials, explaining that he was trying to get the permit and was in the appeals process.
“I’m afraid they’re going to take away our trailer without knowing where we’re going to go,” said the Venezuelan refugee. After several pleas, they left, but officials warned the couple that they would return.“I don’t sleep well because of that.”
Before buying the RV, his wife Katia spent months in the shelter system, first at the now-closed Mission Cabins while Yerservi slept in his car, and later at the Frances Hotel, where they paid $60 a night in what they described as squalid conditions. One night, an electrical failure caused a fire in their room, and they were evicted while Katia was just weeks pregnant.
“We got into a situation where we needed to buy a trailer,” she said.
Now, a month away from giving birth, Katia is trying to fix her immigration status to work legally, but fears deportation if she proceeds. For now, she expects to keep working under the table for low wages, while Yerservi drives for Uber. It’s not nearly enough to save for a downpayment on an apartment.
“You spend $4,000 on a deposit and $2,500 a month,” she said. “Where are we going to come up with that kind of money?”
As part of their appeal, the couple submitted a Homeless Verification Letter signed by Mission Action, confirming they have been in the city’s Coordinated Entry system since January 2024 and have lived in their RV since February of this year.
Even so, their appeal was rejected this week.
“No one has helped us, we’re still here.,” Yerservi wrote in a text to El Tecolote. “I would understand if I wasn’t trying to get the permit — then take the trailer–I’m trying to find the solution to get it.”
“We can stabilize ourselves here”: An inoperable RV leaves newcomers without path to registration
Ronald A., 34, and Julie S., 30, fled political violence in Nicaragua and arrived in San Francisco nearly three years ago with their 12-year-old son, who attends school in the city. After a brief stay in shelters, they bought an RV on Facebook Marketplace. The seller had told them that the RV had all the requirements needed for an up-to-date registration. But when they did the smog check, it didn’t pass. Then they realized that the vehicle was registered in Mexico City.
“The person who sold it to us stopped answering our phone calls,” Julie said. “So, we decided to keep it.”
By early this year, the RV had become inoperable, making them ineligible for the refuge permit. Every two weeks, they say, city officials tell them to move. Using their minivan, the family drags the RV to the next block, with Julie’s brother, who also lives with them, helping keep watch for sweeps.
The Nicaraguan couple work as runners at the same Daly City restaurant, relying on tips to supplement their wages. Outreach workers encouraged them to apply for a permit, but Julie said they decided not to, convinced their RV’s condition would lead to an automatic denial.
Instead, they are working towards paying off their debt, while saving some of their earnings for a downpayment on an apartment where they don’t have to go through the system. The RV offsets rent costs for the moment.
“We can stabilize ourselves here while we look for something,” Julie said. “But when we try, they ask for a $7,000 deposit, they ask for our credit score, or we apply online and nobody calls. Truthfully, it’s complicated.”
“I should be in their system”: Despite extensive documentation, some feel targeted amid denial
Jesus Leon, 48, adjusted the solar panel that connected to his phone charger inside his RV. Earlier in the day, he received an email from the city: his permit application was denied.
Originally from Mexico City, León has lived in his RV for more than a decade, mostly in the Bayview. He estimates he’s paid around $700 in citations over the years — proof, he says, that the city knows he’s lived here. Still, he was denied because he couldn’t meet the city’s documentation cutoff showing presence from January through May 31, 2025.
“I sent them photos,” he said. “I should be in their system because they’ve given me a lot of tickets.”
Leon lives alone with his 3 dogs. He hopes to be able to take any gigs to save up for an apartment. But without a permit, he’s afraid that they’ll continue to ticket him, despite paying them all off.
About two miles away, José Arámbula, 48, said he faced similar problems. Like Leon, he’s lived in his RV for nearly a decade. Earlier this month, police threatened to tow it during an enforcement sweep. He said he argued with officials, telling them he was about to file for a permit, and before things escalated, he borrowed his friend’s work truck and hauled it away from the street.
Arambula said he’s grown disgruntled with the permitting process after repeatedly providing documentation, photos and other proof of eligibility. “I think it’s not right how the police does it,” said Arámbula, adding that he’s already lost several RVs to towing over the years. The last time he retrieved an RV from the impound, he says, cash, high-end basketball sneakers and hats were missing.
This month’s threats of being towed felt all too familiar.
“That day, they simply saw that it was Latinos—those are the ones that they come down on the hardest,” Arámbula said. “I’ll just have to move [the RV], what else am I going to do?”
