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News Brief
City Council cracks down on derelict vehicles
Charles Ryan says he has an unwanted neighbor--an RV that he says a Los Altos resident parks in Sunnyvale because Los Altos bans the vehicles from parking on the street.
Sunnyvale City Council on April 25, passed an ordinance making such storage of vehicles on Sunnyvale streets a demanding chore. The ordinance almost halves the time a vehicle can be stored continuously on the street from 120 hours to 72 hours. It also expands the definition of a nuisance vehicle from cars to include boats and trailers, and requires that the vehicle's odometer turn over a least a mile in order to be counted as moved.
The ordinance takes effect next month.
Public Safety Chief Ernie Bakin said derelict vehicles are a problem, particularly in the northern residential area of the city.
Lieutenant Ron D'Alba said the new ordinance closes loop- holes in the previous ordinance, which he said people easily circumvented by moving cars short distances.
"We'll be able to deal with nuisance vehicles in a much more expeditious manner," he said.
D'Alba said cars suspected of violating the ordinance will be tagged with an orange form telling the owner to move the vehicle within 72 hours. If the owner complies, the matter comes to an end. If he doesn't, the car will be towed, and the owner will be responsible for
expenses. D'Alba said towing costs $85, and daily storage costs $20.
Bakin said the car may be kept in the same location, but must be driven at least a mile to avoid a violation. He said if drivers obscure the odometer, they will be considered in violation of the ordinance.
He said the new ordinance won't prevent someone from Los Altos from parking an RV in Sunnyvale, but it will make it more work to do so.
Several council members voiced concern that the tighter rules would turn people who have gone away for long weekends into violators.
D'Alba said police would use common sense in determining which cars showed signs of being left for long periods.
"We're not going to go to the point of removing a vehicle from the street just for being there three days," he said. "Unless it show signs of inoperability."
Councilman Tim Risch, who said his car had been towed while he was on a business trip, asked what forum would be open to people appealing towing.
D'Alba said each person would be entitled to a hearing.
Satisfied that the ordinance would not suddenly make outlaws out of vacationing residents, the council voted 7-0 to approve it.
"These types of law very rarely impact law-abiding citizens," Vice mayor Jack Walker said. "It hits the scofflaws who are too cheap to rent a place to store a vehicle."
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Sunnyvale, California Since 1994
