A curb on RV parking?

Ellen McCarty

FOUNTAIN VALLEY -- Perry Goldstein was alarmed when he noticed an RV’s

power cord draped across his sidewalk in August -- right in the path of

where children play and ride their bikes.

“At best case, the children trip on it,” he said. “At worst, a bicycle

chain pierces the cord and the child gets electrocuted.”

The recreational vehicle also blocks the view of children playing in the

street, he said. Goldstein called police and City Hall to report the

problem, but learned there are no laws restricting recreational vehicles

in Fountain Valley.

Although the city’s parking code does not allow overnight parking for

trailers and boats because they block visibility, RVs, often much larger,

are subject to the same law as cars. They must be moved every 72 hours.

While running power cords or other items across streets and sidewalks

violates city code, parking an RV on residential streets is perfectly

legal.

But some say it shouldn’t be.

In 1985, the City Council tried to amend the law to force RV owners to

store their vehicles on parking lots. Storage could have cost owners up

to $100, and “It turned into a fiasco,” said City Manager Ray Kromer.

“Those that owned RVs were extremely adamant that the reason they bought

homes in Fountain Valley was because they could park in the street. Those

who didn’t own RVs said the vehicles pose safety and aesthetic problems.”

The city grappled with the problem for a year, he said, and after no

resolution, everyone stepped back from the issue.

“It still raises its head every few years during the summer months,” he

said.

This summer Goldstein threw down the gauntlet.

“I resent the fact that people bought these vehicles knowing there was a

financial obligation to maintain them, yet they take advantage of a

loophole in the law that allows them to park for free,” Goldstein said

this week. “It’s unsafe and unattractive.”

Some city officials empathize with Goldstein.

“If you’re pulling out at an intersection, it’s tough looking around

those things,” Kromer said.

Because there are so many people on both sides of the issue, it lends

itself to a ballot initiative, he added.

But Goldstein said he doesn’t have time to collect the required 4,500

signatures to get it on the ballot.

“I have two 18-month-old twins and a full-time job,” he said. “I don’t

have time to stand in front of Ralphs on weeknights and weekends.”

Last week, he attacked City Council, saying elected representatives

should resolve the problem.

“Politicians stopped people from smoking in the workplace,” he said. “It

took political courage, and that’s something you lack. Before any child

is hurt, before any blood is lost, do something to put teeth into this

law.”

Goldstein said he will continue to protest RVs at upcoming City Council

meetings until the law changes. He said securing his children’s long-term

safety is a bigger priority.

“I’m paid to be a salesman, and I’m very persistent,” he said. “I’m not

afraid to be outspoken.”

Goldstein added that, at the very least, he wants to talk with city

officials and RV owners about creating a city lot where RVs can be parked

at a discounted rate.

Betty Blank, a member of the Fountain Valley Recreational Vehicle Assn.,

said storage doesn’t protect the RVs, some worth $700,000, from

vandalism. And owners have a right to park on city streets.

“Why are the children playing in the street?” she said. “That’s not where

they’re supposed to be playing.”

She added that a few of the association’s 1,000 members will attend the

next City Council meeting to make sure both sides of the issue are

represented.

“I hate to have to fight with them,” she said. “People get so irate about

this issue. But if they’re going to make noise, we’re going to make

noise.”