Santa Barbara RV Parking (oceanfront, home, unemployed)

[JoeyT]

I visited Santa Barbara a few days ago. I noted RV's (some real eyesores) parked along Cabrillo S of State St. at all hours, including the one made famous by PBS's Calif. Connected which is inhabited by an unemployed father and his 2 young sons. I noted that on nearby side streets "No Overnight Parking" signs are prominently displayed, but none on Cabrillo. This situation puzzles me and I have several questions which I hope someone can answer:
1) Why is all-hours RV parking allowed on Cabrillo but nowhere else in SB? These RV residents have virtual "oceanfront" properties. If I were in their shoes, I certainly would use what funds I had left to buy an RV and head for Cabrillo to wile away the days soaking up the sun and ocean air.
2) Why does SB recoil from "bad publicity" about banning RV overnight parking on Cabrillo when 99.99% of other wealthy and not-so-wealthy cities in the US ban overnight RV parking outright and suffer no adverse publicity whatsoever?
3) Is full-time RV parking on Cabrillo permanent, or is this a stop-gap measure until some legislation comes through to ban the practice?
Lest anyone think I'm bashing the homeless, I am not. On the contrary, if circumstances permitted I'd join them on Cabrillo. I'm just curious why SB allows it while everyone else bans it.
I called several city departments and no one wanted to talk to me - just kept passing me to the next division, where I finally ened up on somebody's VM.

[Havasu]

The simple answer is what you said and that the City does not want bad publicity. They are getting a ton of $$ from tourist and as long as that is going on no change is needed. I would think if you drive down Cabrillo at 3 am the RVs would be gone and on side streets. I may be wrong though. The rich and wealthy also live in the foothills and very seldom come to the oceanfront they only want the nice view so they do not complain very much unless the RVs are parking in the Foothills.
This was a big problem back in the 1990s and the City made it for no parking during 2-5 am on the streets that the RVs were parking on. It has been awhile since I have been in tune with SB so things may of changed. I moved and do not miss it at all. My Home

[fifi3434]

I have lived in a home in a SB beachfront neighborhood for the last 40 years. The homeless RVs (and any vehicle for that matter) get tickets if they stay in one place for more than 3 consecutive days. I cant even park my own RV in front of my home for more than three days. Along the beachfront I see Tourist RVs as well as Homeless RVs parking overnight. They can be rousted by the cops at anytime and will receive a ticket if they dont move within 3 days. I have read about many homeless people that have had their RV imponded and lost due to the unpaid parking tickets. Many of the RVs dont run well and it is a hardship for them to keep them moving all of the time. The police are familiar with the homeless RVs, and they routienely harass them. SB does not encourage or allow homeless RV parking on the beachfront. Try moving there and see, it is not an easy life!

[Winston Smith]

Related info perhaps: California town creates parking havens for homeless.