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Thursday, November 7, 2019

Strict enforcement Of Parking Laws In Pacifica, California

From September of 1996 to July 4, 1999, I was on and off homeless. I was so broke that I could not buy a car or an RV. Homeless shelters were my saving grace. In those days most homeless people were cursed with alcohol and drug addiction. I had neither of these problems. I was suffering from age discrimination in the job market.  My luck changed in 1999. I found a two-bedroom apartment in the Willow Glen section of San Jose for $1,200 per month. The first two weeks of rent was free and the damage deposit was $400.00. (I got the $400 from a grant.) I only had to show reasonable good credit and prove that I was employed. Once in the apartment, I found a South Korean woman to be my platonic roommate. She paid half the rent. If I tried to rent that same two-bedroom apartment today, it would cost me a rental of $2,200.000 per month. The damage deposit would be $1,000 or more. I would have to prove an income of $72,000 per year.
   I have been friends with city council people Sue Vaterlaus and Mike O'Neil for decades. They are people of great integrity and compassion for the homeless. Their dream was to set up some sort of safe parking area for RV's. They saw a possibility of funding this year but no guarantee that funding could be continued for years to come.
    What bothers me about these RV's is that we, the taxpayer, have to subsidize these people's lifestyle. There are certain economic realities in life. If one can no longer afford the rents in an area, the common sense thing to do is move to an area with more affordable rents.
   I applaud this new enforcement of parking laws.

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