Bay Area

SFMTA Approves Towing of RVs Parked Overnight If Occupants Refuse Shelter

The San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA) voted 6-1 to authorize the city to tow large RVs parked in designated locations if parked overnight and if occupants refuse shelter from outreach teams. This tactic is the latest tool by Mayor London Breed to crack down on homelessness and prevent people from continuing to sleep on the streets.

Published

1 year ago

October 18, 2024

Oakland Post

Police officers were previously only allowed to tow RVs on certain streets from 12 a.m to 6 a.m and with a warrant, but now under the new rule officers can tow if dwellers refuse services from city outreach workers on any street in San Francisco.

By Magaly Muñoz

This tactic is the latest tool by Mayor London Breed to crack down on homelessness and prevent people from continuing to sleep on the streets.

Staff assured the public that towing and citing of RVs would be “the last resort” and offers of shelter and services, like transportation tickets to loved ones living outside the city, would come first before escalation.

According to the 2024 Point in Time Count, 1,444 people were living in vehicles, but it is unsure how many were living in RVs. Those living in vehicles are considered unsheltered, despite many considering their campers or RVs as their homes.

Families are the largest population of those living in RVs in San Francisco. One hundred and thrity families were living unsheltered on the night of the count and 90% of them were in vehicles.

City staff said it is difficult to pinpoint how many people live in large vehicles, but there are currently 361 campers, trailers, and box trucks parked on the streets.

Advocates have been calling for a stop to the threats of towing to RVs because of concerns that families will be separated and displaced onto the streets if they decline county shelter options.

Representatives of Supervisors Ahsha Safai and Aaron Peskin read statements asking the MTA Board to vote against the resolution.

“A vehicle is not an ideal shelter, however, for these 117 unhoused families their RVs are their last minor protection from living on the street,” Safai wrote.

Peskin called the proposed action “inhumane” and officials should instead focus on finding comprehensible solutions that will not exacerbate vulnerable people’s problems.

MTA members and advocates inquired about permanent parking solutions for RV dwellers.

Currently, the city has “vehicle triage centers” (VTC) located at Candlestick Park, which allows people to safely park their mobile homes and receive services while waiting for permanent housing. But the number of accommodations is very limited, the site only serving 35 vehicles a night, when it was once projected that it would serve 155 vehicles.

While staff said they are looking into other permanent options, no new sites have been located at the moment to accommodate the current number of RVs parked on the street right now.

Parking restrictions will take effect on Nov. 1, but staff said it will not trigger an immediate city-wide ban on the RVs. Instead, enforcement workers will likely begin with one sweep per month, increasing them if needed.

The towing policy will cost the city $230,000.

Mayor Breed has been working to bring more enforcement measures to remove people from living and sleeping on the streets. She has previously said that the city will take a “very aggressive” approach in alleviating this problem.

“Our message is clear: accepting our help is not just an option, it is the option. If someone is offered housing, shelter, and support but turns us down, they cannot remain on the streets,” Breed said in a statement.

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Oakland Post: Week of February 25 – March 3, 2026

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of – February 25 – March 3, 2026

Published

1 week ago

March 1, 2026

Oakland Post

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Chase Oakland Community Center Hosts Alley-Oop Accelerator Building Community and Opportunity for Bay Area Entrepreneurs

Over the past three years, the Alley-Oop Accelerator has helped more than 20 Bay Area businesses grow, connect, and gain meaningful exposure. The program combines hands-on training, mentorship, and community-building to help participants navigate the legal, financial, and marketing challenges of small business ownership.

Published

2 weeks ago

February 21, 2026

Oakland Post

Bay Area entrepreneurs attend the Alley-Oop Accelerator, a small business incubation program at Chase Oakland Community Center. Photo by Carla Thomas.

By Carla Thomas

The Golden State Warriors and Chase bank hosted the third annual Alley-Oop Accelerator this month, an empowering eight-week program designed to help Bay Area entrepreneurs bring their visions for business to life.

The initiative kicked off on Feb. 12 at Chase’s Oakland Community Center on Broadway Street, welcoming 15 small business owners who joined a growing network of local innovators working to strengthen the region’s entrepreneurial ecosystem.

At its core, the accelerator is designed to create an ecosystem of collaboration, where local entrepreneurs can learn from one another while accessing the resources of a global financial institution.

“This is our third year in a row working with the Golden State Warriors on the Alley-Oop Accelerator,” said Jaime Garcia, executive director of Chase’s Coaching for Impact team for the West Division. “We’ve already had 20-plus businesses graduate from the program, and we have 15 enrolled this year. The biggest thing about the program is really the community that’s built amongst the business owners — plus the exposure they’re able to get through Chase and the Golden State Warriors.”

According to Garcia, several graduates have gone on to receive vendor contracts with the Warriors and have gained broader recognition through collaborations with JPMorgan Chase.

“A lot of what Chase is trying to do,” Garcia added, “is bring businesses together because what they’ve asked for is an ecosystem, a network where they can connect, grow, and thrive organically.”

This year’s Alley-Oop Accelerator reflects that vision through its comprehensive curriculum and emphasis on practical learning. Participants explore the full spectrum of business essentials including financial management, marketing strategy, and legal compliance, while also preparing for real-world experiences such as pop-up market events.

Each entrepreneur benefits from one-on-one mentoring sessions through Chase’s Coaching for Impact program, which provides complimentary, personalized business consulting.

Garcia described the impact this hands-on approach has had on local small business owners. He recalled one candlemaker, who, after participating in the program, was invited to provide candles as gifts at Chase events.

“We were able to help give that business exposure,” he explained. “But then our team also worked with them on how to access capital to buy inventory and manage operations once those orders started coming in. It’s about preparation. When a hiccup happens, are you ready to handle it?”

The Coaching for Impact initiative, which launched in 2020 in just four cities, has since expanded to 46 nationwide.

“Every business is different,” Garcia said. “That’s why personal coaching matters so much. It’s life-changing.”

Participants in the 2026 program will each receive a $2,500 stipend, funding that Garcia said can make an outsized difference. “It’s amazing what some people can do with just $2,500,” he noted. “It sounds small, but it goes a long way when you have a plan for how to use it.”

For Chase and the Warriors, the Alley-Oop Accelerator represents more than an educational initiative, it’s a pathway to empowerment and economic inclusion. The program continues to foster lasting relationships among the entrepreneurs who, as Garcia put it, “build each other up” through shared growth and opportunity.

“Starting a business is never easy, but with the right support, it becomes possible, and even exhilarating,” said Oscar Lopez, the senior business consultant for Chase in Oakland.