City to Ban Transfer of Handicap Placards

Camarillo residents will no longer be able to transfer handicap placards from one vehicle to another to exempt themselves from the city’s oversized vehicle ordinance.

City Council members unanimously decided Wednesday evening to rewrite the ordinance after receiving complaints that people were taking handicap placards and using them on motor homes and boat trailers to get around the parking restrictions.

Now the city will issue a special handicap permit--only one per person and after users sign a statement attesting that this is their primary mode of transportation.

“The intent of this ordinance was to exempt [a handicapped person’s] primary vehicle because some people use vans and small motor homes,” Councilwoman Charlotte Craven said. “But I don’t think there is anyone who uses a 40-foot motor home as their primary vehicle.”

In April, the council approved an ordinance restricting oversize vehicles from parking on residential streets from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Mondays through Fridays, unless owners seek a temporary parking permit. The ordinance included an exemption to accommodate handicapped people who must rely on oversized vehicles for transportation.

Parking permits for all oversized vehicles are issued by the Ventura County Sheriff’s Department at no charge and may be used 10 days during a 90-day period.

Also, council members approved allowing dual rear-wheel pickup trucks to continue parking on residential streets--though such trucks exceed the width limitation in the ordinance--because the intent of the ordinance was not to restrict pickup trucks.

Camarillo had previously regulated RVs on public streets by enforcing the California Vehicle Code, which requires that all vehicles parked for more than 72 hours in one place must be moved at least two-tenths of a mile. But police officials said the code was hard to enforce and a drain on department resources.