{"id":69495,"date":"2025-11-20T16:41:55","date_gmt":"2025-11-21T00:41:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/eltecolote.org\/content\/?p=69495"},"modified":"2025-12-10T15:16:47","modified_gmt":"2025-12-10T23:16:47","slug":"sf-rv-permit-denied","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/eltecolote.org\/content\/en\/sf-rv-permit-denied\/","title":{"rendered":"S.F.\u2019s RV permits were designed for them. Yet some are still being left behind"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

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\u2019re worried about whether they\u2019ll still have a home.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

San Francisco began enforcing its new two-hour parking policy<\/a> for RVs and other large vehicles on Nov. 1. The only vehicles exempt from the rules are those covered by the city\u2019s Large Vehicle Refuge Permit<\/a>, created for residents experiencing vehicular homelessness who had their RVs parked in the city by May 31, 2025.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lee esta historia en espa\u00f1ol<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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<\/em> they submitted every document they could, yet were still rejected. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Katia S., 30, who is eight months pregnant, holds the denial letter she received from the city after applying for a Large Vehicle Refuge Permit, in San Francisco, Calif., on Nov. 7, 2025. Photo: Pablo Unzueta for El Tecolote\/CatchLight Local<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

According to data reported by the San Francisco Standard<\/em><\/a>, the city counted about 80 unpermitted large vehicles as of Nov. 5. Meanwhile, public records obtained by El Tecolote show that a city <\/em>survey<\/em><\/a> from<\/em> May found 82 large vehicles may be inoperable. El Tecolote<\/em> reached out to the Department of Emergency Management for an updated count of unpermitted RVs, but did not receive a response after multiple attempts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While the permit offers a temporary reprieve for vulnerable residents, it lasts only six months, with extensions available at the discretion of the SFMTA\u2019s Director of Transportation. Ultimately, the city\u2019s goal includes eliminating visible signs of homelessness on city streets altogether. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2018Where are we going to come up with that kind of money?\u2019: A pregnant couple fights for appeal <\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The couple\u2019s first warning came early in the morning on Nov. 6, when city officials knocked on their door \u2018aggressively\u2019 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. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\u2019m afraid they\u2019re going to take away our trailer without knowing where we’re going to go,\u201d said the Venezuelan refugee. After several pleas, they left, but officials warned the couple that they would return.\u201cI don\u2019t sleep well because of that.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Before buying the RV, his wife Katia spent months in the shelter system, first at the now-closed Mission Cabins<\/a> 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe got into a situation where we needed to buy a trailer,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n
Left: <\/strong>The unpermitted RV where Katia S., 30, who is eight months pregnant, lives with her husband, Yerservi M., in San Francisco, Calif., on Nov. 7, 2025. Right:<\/strong> Katia S. stands inside the couple\u2019s unpermitted RV in the Bayview-Hunters Point neighborhood on Nov. 6, 2025. Photos: Pablo Unzueta for El Tecolote\/CatchLight Local<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

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\u2019s not nearly enough to save for a downpayment on an apartment. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou spend $4,000 on a deposit and $2,500 a month,\u201d she said. \u201cWhere are we going to come up with that kind of money?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As part of their appeal, the couple submitted a Homeless Verification Letter signed by Mission Action, confirming they have been in the city\u2019s Coordinated Entry system since January 2024 and have lived in their RV since February of this year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Even so, their appeal was rejected this week.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNo one has helped us, we\u2019re still here.,\u201d Yerservi wrote in a text to El Tecolote<\/em>. \u201cI would understand if I wasn\u2019t trying to get the permit \u2014 then take the trailer\u2013I\u2019m trying to find the solution to get it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe can stabilize ourselves here\u201d: An inoperable RV leaves newcomers without path to registration<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"\"
Julie S., 30, and Ronald A., 34, a couple from Nicaragua with a 12-year-old son, hold hands next to their RV after returning from their restaurant jobs, in San Francisco, Calif., on Nov. 10, 2025. Photo: Pablo Unzueta for El Tecolote\/CatchLight Local<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

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\u2019t pass. Then they realized that the vehicle was registered in Mexico City.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe person who sold it to us stopped answering our phone calls,\u201d Julie said. \u201cSo, we decided to keep it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u2019s brother, who also lives with them, helping keep watch for sweeps.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u2019s condition would lead to an automatic denial.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Left: Julie S., 30, and Ronald A., 34, stand next to their RV after returning from their restaurant jobs, in San Francisco, Calif., on Nov. 10, 2025. Photo: Pablo Unzueta for El Tecolote\/CatchLight Local<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Instead, they are working towards paying off their debt, while saving some of their earnings for a downpayment on an apartment where they don\u2019t have to go through the system. The RV offsets rent costs for the moment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe can stabilize ourselves here while we look for something,\u201d Julie said. \u201cBut 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\u2019s complicated.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI should be in their system\u201d: Despite extensive documentation, some feel targeted amid denial<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Originally from Mexico City, Le\u00f3n has lived in his RV for more than a decade, mostly in the Bayview. He estimates he\u2019s paid around $700 in citations over the years \u2014 proof, he says, that the city knows he\u2019s lived here. Still, he was denied because he couldn\u2019t meet the city\u2019s documentation cutoff showing presence from January through May 31, 2025.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n
Left: <\/strong>Jesus Leon, 48, who was denied a Large Vehicle Refuge Permit, stands outside his RV on a narrow industrial street in San Francisco, Calif., on Nov. 10, 2025. Right:<\/strong> Leon\u2019s unpermitted RV parked among permitted ones on the same street, on Nov. 10, 2025. Photos: Pablo Unzueta for El Tecolote\/CatchLight Local<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"
Jesus Leon, 48, who was denied a Large Vehicle Refuge Permit, stands inside his RV with one of his three dogs, Chula, in San Francisco, Calif., on Nov. 10, 2025. Photo: Pablo Unzueta for El Tecolote\/CatchLight Local<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"
Jesus Leon, 48, who was denied a Large Vehicle Refuge Permit, shows the \u201cDF\u201d tattoo on the back of his head, a homage to Mexico City, in San Francisco, Calif., on Nov. 10, 2025. Photo: Pablo Unzueta for El Tecolote\/CatchLight Local<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI sent them photos,\u201d he said. \u201cI should be in their system because they\u2019ve given me a lot of tickets.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u2019s afraid that they\u2019ll continue to ticket him, despite paying them all off.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

About two miles away, Jos\u00e9 Ar\u00e1mbula, 48, said he faced similar problems. Like Leon, he\u2019s 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\u2019s work truck and hauled it away from the street.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n
Left: <\/strong>Jos\u00e9 Ar\u00e1mbula, 48, shows the water-heating system he installed in his RV, in San Francisco, Calif., on Nov. 11, 2025. Ar\u00e1mbula was present when city officials conducted an enforcement sweep in the Bayview-Hunters Point neighborhood during the first week of the two-hour parking law. Right: <\/strong>Ar\u00e1mbula stands inside his RV in San Francisco, Calif., on Nov. 11, 2025. Photos: Pablo Unzueta for El Tecolote<\/em>\/CatchLight Local<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Arambula said he\u2019s grown disgruntled with the permitting process after repeatedly providing documentation, photos and other proof of eligibility. \u201cI think it\u2019s not right how the police does it,\u201d said Ar\u00e1mbula, adding that he\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This month\u2019s threats of being towed felt all too familiar.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThat day, they simply saw that it was Latinos\u2014those are the ones that they come down on the hardest,\u201d Ar\u00e1mbula said. \u201cI\u2019ll just have to move [the RV], what else am I going to do?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Details inside the RV of Jesus Leon, 48, who was denied a Large Vehicle Refuge Permit, in San Francisco, Calif., on Nov. 10, 2025. Photo: Pablo Unzueta for El Tecolote\/CatchLight Local<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A new permit is meant to give longtime RV residents a 6-month reprieve from displacement. But some say it\u2019s nearly impossible to get.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":88938,"featured_media":69511,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"newspack_popups_has_disabled_popups":false,"newspack_featured_image_position":"above","newspack_post_subtitle":"","newspack_article_summary_title":"Overview:","newspack_article_summary":"","newspack_hide_updated_date":false,"newspack_show_updated_date":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"coauthors":[24151],"class_list":["post-69495","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","entry"],"yoast_head":"\nSF\u2019s RV permits were designed for them. 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