RV Parking Rules a Concern for One RV Resident

As city crews prepare to install signs prohibiting at the Martinez Shoreline Regional Park, one long-term RV “resident” was taken aback by the news of the new rules on Friday night.

“I don’t understand that,” said Steve Barrett, whose RV is parked at the shoreline lot on a daily basis. He agreed to speak with Martinez Patch after homeless outreach coordinator gave him the news of the city’s new rule prohibiting RV parking in that lot.

“We come down here every day,” Barrett said over the sound of his generator, which provides electricity for the RV he lives in with his wife and two dogs. “I go shrimping out there, and sometimes I go fishing.”

He said the bait shop pays him $60 every time he brings in shrimp —that’s the money he and his wife live on.

The Barretts have lived in Martinez for the past 20 years, he said, and they have parked the RV at the Marina lot for the past 16 years.

“Years ago we lived in a house,” he said, “but we like our dogs, and the landlord wanted us to get rid of them. So we live here now.”

The two Rottweilers barked at passing dogs and people as we spoke. They have been a source of concern for people for some time, and have occasionally attacked other dogs.

“I don’t know what we’re going to do,” Barrett said. “I really don’t know.”

Under the new rules, RVs have to park at the boat launch lot, across the street from the Shoreline lot. They will get a maximum of 14 days to remain there; after that, they can’t return for six months. The harbormaster will be responsible for monitoring the RV parking.

The rules are going into effect at the request of the , which has received numerous complaints about certain cars and RVs parked at the Marina lot on a regular basis, used as housing. Though they are not allowed to park there at night, the owners drive in at dawn and remain in the lot through sunset, when they move to Howe Road or other areas.

Stewart said that since he has advised people of the new rules, several RV owners have decided to seek shelter and get help in various programs.

“Since I’ve been talking about this with people, we’ve had a lot of guys bow out from down here,” Stewart said. “The situation where people are living in their cars, or their RVs, is really going down. The problem is, cars and RVs aren’t meant to be lived in.”

As for Barrett, he said he was not sure what his next course of action would be.

The new signs should be installed this week.

MEETINGS:

The Board meets tonight at 7 at School District Headquarters, 921 Susana St. Among the items to be discussed are amendments to the 10-year lease agreement with Wendy’s and the master planning process for the Measure K Bond.

EVENTS:

TODAY IN HISTORY (from Wikipedia):

1885 - Gottlieb Daimler patents the world's first internal combustion motorcycle, the Reitwagen

1898 - The Goodyear tire company is founded.

1911 - Ishi, considered the last Native American to come into contact with European Americans, emerges from the wilderness of northeastern California.

1966 - The Beatles perform their last concert before paying fans at Candlestick Park in San Francisco.

1970 - Chicano Moratorium against the Vietnam War, East Los Angeles, California. Police riot kills three people, including journalist Ruben Salazar.

1991 - Supreme Soviet of the Soviet Union suspends all activities of the Soviet Communist Party.

2005 - Hurricane Katrina devastates much of the U.S. Gulf Coast from Louisiana to the Florida Panhandle, killing more than 1,836 and causing over $80 billion in damage.

2007 - United States Air Force nuclear weapons incident: six US cruise missiles armed with nuclear warheads are flown without proper authorization from Minot Air Force Base to Barksdale Air Force Base.