Mountain View Rolling Rally Calls for Protections For Renters, RV Dwellers

Photos by Jack Owicki, Pro Bono Photo.

Mountain View housing activists held a "rolling rally" on March 27 to demand that city officials enact protections during the Covid-19 outbreak for renters and people who live in mobile homes and other vehicles.

The city's rents are extremely high and many restaurants and other small businesses have closed their doors due to shelter-in-place orders. Out of work residents are getting desperate.

Activists called on the city to go even further than Santa Clara County's renter protections--the county has a 120-day grace period for missed rent payments. They said a 180-day payback period would better support Mountain View working families.

Housing activists have broad support from people living in the Silicon Valley city known for being both the home of Google and the site of many RV residents who work to support the people employed at Google and other tech companies.

The tenant rights supporters are including in their demands protections for residents of the city's mobile homes which are estimated by some to number over 1,000. They want the city to open more 24 hour safe parking lots for cars and RV's. Concern is high for the city's unhoused and underhoused population. Demonstrators reminded city officials that "homeless health is public health, and we are all at risk."