SDPD issues 1,500 parking tickets at San Diego beaches

SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI) -- From July 2 to Aug. 15, the San Diego Police Department issued approximately 1,500 tickets for vehicles illegal parked at the beach.

"If we can get everybody off the streets in a way that doesn't have enforcement, that's great. That's not the reality of the situation," said SDPD Sergeant Michael Wallace.

Almost 500 of those tickets issued violated the oversized vehicle ordinance.

The ordinance says any recreational vehicle or oversized vehicle with an attached trailer, vehicle, or loads that exceed 27-feet-long and 7-feet-high cannot park on the street between 2 a.m. and 6 a.m. without a permit.

Officers have patrolled the beach communities looking out for people living in their vehicles.

"It is a large complaint right now about the beach communities and people just living in a parking spot for months at a time," Wallace said.

The patrols fall under the Safe Parking Program which helps connect those people with a secure parking lot where they can park overnight while looking for permanent housing.

"We've had many contacts from people out of state," he said.

SDPD referred more than 100 of the people ticketed to a safe parking location.

"We have everything from people that have been homeless for long periods of time, people that have been homeless for short periods of time, and then people that aren't really homeless," Wallace said. "They have homes, but they're just spending their summers at the beach."

Meanwhile, the other ticket recipients refused services or left the area.

Recreational vehicles owners can get a valid permit for 24 hours to park overnight.

Applicants can get a permit for up to three consecutive days at a time, and applicants may purchase up to 72 days of permits a year, but the permit is only valid on the same block as the resident’s address.