California has declared war on RVs used by homeless people, implementing a new law that allows authorities to quickly demolish oversize vehicles worth up to $4,000. An estimated 34,000 homeless Californians now live in vehicles, creating a visible crisis that pits those viewing RVs as eyesores against those using them as homes.

The state's Inside Safe program has spent $300 million moving people from encampments to hotels, with mixed results including a 40 percent return rate to streets. RV dwellers are routinely promised housing in exchange for surrendering vehicles, though advocates say these commitments often fail to materialize.

Local businesses and residents increasingly organize against oversize vehicles, even hiring private security to press RV dwellers to move. For many like David Boone, a former limousine operator paying over $2,000 in monthly rent would be impossible, making RVs not just shelter but a necessary economic survival strategy.