Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson announced Monday she is vetoing a permit program for people living in RVs. The program passed the City Council with a 6-3 majority last month.
She said in a statement she supported some aspects of the council’s sweeping legislative package, but couldn’t approve the permit program because of her concerns about how much it would cost, how it would affect people who lost their RVs without getting shelter and the possibility it could open the city to lawsuits.
Wilson said she understood it was important for the city to do more to address RVs on public streets, and she intends to issue an executive order Tuesday to fund new outreach and two new shelters for people in RVs – goals similar to those in the legislative package.
One councilmember would have to change their position, or the six-person voting bloc that passed the bill could override her veto within 30 days.
The bill’s sponsor, Councilmember Dan Strauss, said in a press release following Wilson’s announcement that he was blindsided by the decision. He said Wilson had promised him she wouldn’t veto the legislation, but instead would work with council to implement it.
“I am disappointed that she broke her commitment to work together to implement this legislation, he said.
The council’s proposal updated Seattle’s definition of "junk vehicles, directed the city to fund more services for people in RVs and made it easier for the city to secure parking lots to store RVs for people entering shelter. But the legislation's most controversial component revolved around the new parking rules and permit program for people in RVs, which was intended to eventually fully ban people from living in large vehicles.
At first, it would restrict RV parking to two hours throughout the city during the day and prohibit it overnight – a major change from current rules that allow RVs in industrial areas for up to 72 hours. People in RVs could get an exception to these stricter rules by joining a permit program – determined through a one-time census – but they’d eventually have to accept the city’s offers of shelter. No one would be allowed to get a permit if they weren't counted in that one census, effectively outlawing living in an RV.
If any RVS were found out of compliance with the rules, the legislation would give the city the power to tow them without the standard notice currently required.
Wilson faced heavy lobbying by advocacy groups, who warned the permit program was a poor use of resources that would do more harm than good and put more people on the streets. A similar model in San Francisco led to the towing of a hundred more RVs than households helped.
The groups also said it raised legal issues as Washington recognizes some protections for people who live in vehicles.
The city is also facing a battle over the budget, as councilmembers balk at Wilson's proposal that balances the budget next year and going forward, but cuts some of the programs and positions they want. The city estimated the permit program could cost more than $10 million to create and administer by the end of 2027, although Strauss questioned the size of the city’s estimates.
In supporting the permit program, he and other councilmembers highlighted that the legislation would allow them to make any adjustments if problems arose. They said the city had gone too long without any comprehensive approach to vehicle residents.
None of the other councilmembers who supported the legislation immediately responded to requests for comment.
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