Instead of fighting to continue to park their outsized vehicles on the city’s streets, he says they should be willing to drive them to RV parking lots no matter how great the distance from their homes.
As the longtime chief executive of the Chamber of Commerce, beautification is a primary priority. Awkwardly large RVs, he maintains, detract from Culver City’s natural appeal.
If Mr. Rose’s will is to prevail, he will need more votes than there were at last Monday’s meeting.
The Background
Reacting to complaints from residents in several neighborhoods, the City Council voted last autumn to prohibit RVs from parking on streets for several reasons:
They took up too much traditional parking space on taking up too much parking space on streets, some defaced ones evoked blighted images, and some were converted into downscale living quarters.
Enforcement was to begin after the start of the new year. But when a large crowd of RV owners and their sympathizers descended on Council Chambers last Monday, they prevailed on Mayor Albert Vera to take a second look.
Mr. Vera and Vice Mayor Gary Silbiger, both candidates for re-election in April, agreed enthusiastically that the RV owners were correct to seek a delay if not a suspension. They said insufficient notification had gone out to owners, and city staff was directed to undertake a re-study.
In the background, Mr. Rose and Councilperson Carol Gross repeatedly declared their implacable opposition to a direction change. The regulation had been passed. End of debate, they said in harmony.
During the past nine months, Mr. Vera has led the Council with a notably more lenient hand than his recent predecessors.
As matters presently stand, only Councilman Alan Corlin’s vote is undecided. Barring a quake of mammoth proportions, there is no chance any of his four teammates will adjust their stances.
“This case is about RV owners taking responsibility,” Mr. Rose told thefrontpageonline.com. “They have to be careful that their lifestyles do not cast a negative on their neighbors or their fellow citizens.
“Parking RVs on the street will block the views of oncoming traffic for drivers backing out of their driveways.
“Among other problems, RVs also can be a health hazard,” Mr. Rose said, referring to a dead body Culver City police found in a van several days ago.
As for a solution, Mr. Rose said that “there are plenty of storage areas, places RV owners can rent to park. I realize the closer in these places are, the higher the rent. In that case, owners have to take responsibility for how much they can afford to spend.
“Responsibility,” Mr. Rose said, “goes with ownership. Life is about choices. When you are adopting a lifestyle, you have to make choices and live with them.”