Mission Bay RV owners face ticketing troubles

(FOX 5/KUSI) — The question of RV parking in Mission Bay is a tangled issue of court-ordered injunctions and police enforcement, and how it ends is anyone’s guess.

From July 2 to 25, San Diego police handed out over $21,000 worth of tickets for oversized vehicles parking overnight along the bay.

“People who don’t want us here, they take pictures every day of what they think is not right for this parking lot,” said Billy Hogg, a Navy veteran.

Hogg says once the police find out he is a vet, they are respectful, but tickets show up in the middle of the night without warning, each one for $112.

“What damage am I doing in this car spot with my van? You don’t see any trash around it,” said Hogg.

Many RV owners are now forced to drive from Mission Bay to H barracks near the airport for a handful of hours, only to be forced to drive back.

“Police are not doing what they are supposed to be doing, which is inquire about whether it's reasonable for them, and when people say, 'It’s really not reasonable for me, officer,' they say 'Well, you gotta go there or you are going to get ticketed,'” said Ann Menasche.

Police say public complaints about the RVs from tourists and the public come in constantly.

“They don’t really bother me, but in all fairness, this shouldn’t be an RV park,” said Ton Nelson, a Mission Bay walker.

Menasche says the October settlement for RV residents might not hold up to the court order.

And for vets like Hogg who served and call San Diego home, leaving town isn’t an option.