Policy Text
MOUNTAIN
2022
POLICE
VIEW
MOUNTAIN VIEW POLICE DEPARTMENT
FIELD OPERATIONS DIVISION
TRAINING AND INFORMATION
BULLETIN
DATE:
September 29, 2022
BULLETIN NUMBER:
22-003
SUBJECT:
Measure C and Timed Parking Enforcement
PAGE 1 OF 8
OVERVIEW:
Starting Saturday October 1 2022, MVPD will begin enforcement of the Narrow Streets Ordinance
(Measure C), Bicycle Lane Parking Restrictions, and resume enforcement of all timed parking. This
bulletin provides background information, enforcement procedures, and settlement agreement
terms for these related municipal codes.
HISTORY
In October of 2019, the Mountain View City Council passed Ordinance number 14.19, which has
been referred to as the "Narrow Streets Ordinance" or "Measure C." Subsequently, a group
gathered enough signatures to place this ordinance on the November 2020 election ballot for voters
to decide. Measure C passed with 56.6% approval by the residents of Mountain View. Prior to
implementation of Measure C, the City of Mountain View was sued to stop enforcement of
Measure C. On September 23, 2022 the City announced a settlement agreement resulting from the
litigation. The full settlement agreement can be viewed here.
Timed parking enforcement had been suspended in March of 2020 due to the COVID-19 Pandemic.
However, all timed parking will resume on Saturday October 1, 2022.
SUMMARY OF MEASURE C AND BICYCLE LANE STREETS:
Mountain View City Code (MVCC) 19.79.4 restricts the parking of oversized vehicles which exceed
22 feet in length, or 7 feet in width, or 7 feet in height, including boats, large trucks, and recreational
vehicles (RVS), on narrow streets to address traffic safety concerns. A narrow street is defined as
one less than or equal to forty feet in length. This is not an "RV Ban" and should not be referred to
as such. MVCC 19.79.3 prohibits the parking of oversized vehicles on streets adjacent to bicycle
lanes.
CONFIDENTIAL FOR LAW ENFORCEMENT USE ONLY
MOUNTAIN VIEW POLICE DEPARTMENT
FIELD OPERATIONS DIVISION
WHAT THE SETTLEMENT AGREEMENT COVERS:
•
•
Enforcement of parking restrictions for narrow streets and streets with bicycle lanes only!
Does not apply to enforcement of other parking restrictions (e.g., 72-hour, temporary no
parking, health and safety parking restrictions).
This means you only need to comply with the process listed below if you are enforcing the
narrow streets or streets with bicycle lane ordinance.
WHO WILL BE ENFORCING MEASURE C AND BICYCLE LANE STREETS:
The settlement agreement states enforcement shall be conducted by the MVPD Youth and
Community Services Unit (NES and YSU) or its successor units. However, the agreement
specifically acknowledges that it will sometimes be necessary for other officers to engage in
enforcement activities pertaining to narrow streets or bike lane ordinances.
Thus, the primary responsibility for enforcement will be handled by the NES Team. However, if
patrol officers come across a situation where immediate enforcement action is needed, they are
encouraged to contact an Officer or Sergeant from the NES Team for direction. Patrol officers
should not be proactively looking for ways to enforce narrow streets or bike lane ordinances.
If a patrol call is created that involves a complaint related to narrow streets or bike lane ordinances,
the assigned officer should respond to the call and evaluate for potential violations. If no
immediate enforcement is needed, all cases or incidents that involve potential violations of narrow
streets or bike lane ordinances should be directed to NES for review and follow-up.
Although patrol officers will not be the primary enforcement unit, all officers should be prepared
to answer questions from residents appropriately and direct RV/Vehicle dwellers to additional
resources.
TERMS OF THE SETTLEMENT AGREEMENT:
There are several notable requirements in the settlement agreement that must be adhered to in
order for a citation to be issued or a vehicle to be towed. Failure to follow all steps in the process
could results in the City being in violation of the settlement agreement.
At the onset, citation and towing cannot commence until Saturday October 1, 2022. The
settlement agreement required the month of September to be dedicated to providing warnings
and parking maps to vehicles parked on narrow streets and streets with bicycle lanes. This
noticing requirement has been completed.
Prior to issuing a citation or towing, the following process must be completed:
1. The street must be posted with no parking signs on narrow street or streets with bicycle lanes.
Mountain View Public works has completed this step. All streets on the parking restriction
map have been posted with either narrow street signs or bicycle lane sign.
2. If an oversized vehicle is parked on a narrow roadway or bicycle lane roadway, a parking
citation can be issued.
CONFIDENTIAL FOR LAW ENFORCEMENT USE ONLY
MOUNTAIN VIEW POLICE DEPARTMENT
FIELD OPERATIONS DIVISION
3. If a citation is issued, the following must also be given along with the citation:
A "Notice of Parking Violation" must be completed and given out along with the
citation. See attached Notice of Parking Violation.
A map with parking restrictions (This map must be in color, be 11x17 size and be in
English, Spanish, Russian, and Chinese). The current map can be found here.
4. After at least one citation is issued, and the vehicle remains at that same location, it can be
towed 72 hours between the citation and tow.
5. Note: There is a 14-day