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Old 12-13-2018, 05:46 PM   #1
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Where to park in Cal while in college

Hello, I’m about to start life in skoolie: I want to buy big school bus.

I do apologize if I post this in the wrong forms and I tired to find the answers but no luck.

I currently live in south Florida. I’m a graphic designer. I want to go to

Gnomon — School of Visual Effects, Games & Animation, 1015 N Cahuenga Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90038

And I noticed the cost of living in California is high. So I had the idea of using skoolie to live in CAL as I finish my classes.

Is there any tips anyone can give me. Like where to stay so I’m not far from my schools. Or any laws I should be aware of.

Yes I could rent a really small apartment but I rather have the money go to my skoolie and education.
Thank you

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Old 12-13-2018, 08:35 PM   #2
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Welcome. And do lots of homework before you buy. Especially regarding where to store/park/work on/live in a Skoolie in Kaliphornia. A number of folks here have had fits trying to find just a place to park. Seems the state is really down on people living in vans, buses and the like.
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Old 12-14-2018, 02:01 AM   #3
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Bboy_leogun View Post
Hello, I’m about to start life in skoolie: I want to buy big school bus.

I do apologize if I post this in the wrong forms and I tired to find the answers but no luck.

I currently live in south Florida. I’m a graphic designer. I want to go to

Gnomon — School of Visual Effects, Games & Animation, 1015 N Cahuenga Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90038

And I noticed the cost of living in California is high. So I had the idea of using skoolie to live in CAL as I finish my classes.

Is there any tips anyone can give me. Like where to stay so I’m not far from my schools. Or any laws I should be aware of.

Yes I could rent a really small apartment but I rather have the money go to my skoolie and education.
Thank you
And I noticed the cost of living in California is high

Did you also notice the sky was blue??

Good luck
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Old 12-14-2018, 05:13 AM   #4
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Rivetboy View Post
And I noticed the cost of living in California is high

Did you also notice the sky was blue??

Good luck

Hahah thanks. I will need all the luck
😂

I’m trying to find a way to live the skoolie lifestyle and still be a productive student. Unfortunately I have no friends or family in California. I’m happy I got accepted into my dreams school. I just need to find a way to make this work
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Old 12-14-2018, 07:56 AM   #5
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It's not impossible to find a space for your Skoolie, but it is important to have one lined up BEFORE you have a bus.
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Old 12-14-2018, 08:09 AM   #6
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Bboy_leogun View Post
Hello, I’m about to start life in skoolie: I want to buy big school bus.

Think about a small school bus, a "15 passenger" on a van chassis. Much easier to park, drive etc. still have full head room and room for everything. It will be you and a significant other at times.

or
a real van. Cheaper everything and stealth camping becomes a more reasonable plan. Plan to eat on the meal plan, shower in the gym, study mostly in the lab or lib. Park in a different spot every day or two and you should be OK.



Remember that while CA is a modern progressive state socially, they still follow a very red fiscal policy; ie: there are lots of regressive taxes that hit the poor more than the rich. You will have to pay a corporation for just about everything. Our BLM land is far from downtown LA.

With the lack of reasonable paying jobs in the depressed real economy of the last few years there is a lot of people living out of vehicles just to make ends meet.
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Old 12-15-2018, 08:17 AM   #7
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Thank you for all your information. I’m not starting my school until 2020. This gives me time to look around and find out what I can do.

From I seen my main options are

1) rent land or parking from someone else

2) small van and move every two day

3) get an apartment with a roommate instead of skoolie

It seems cal is more difficult to live as a student and skoolie

I’m not giving up. But now I know my options and challenges
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Old 12-15-2018, 11:40 AM   #8
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If your Skoolie is finished already, at public universities/colleges in Northern California a simple parking pass per semester allows you to park at all hours. Not sure of individual stay lengths and the such but I have seen several motorhomes at our local public community collage with parking passes parked overnight and what seemed like several days. It was always moving every couple of days but ever present.

You need to be enrolled to get a parking pass however. They would also frown on work being done upon it.

Not the such the implication of derogatory California with a “K” as it’s commonly referred to outside of the state.
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Old 01-15-2019, 10:01 PM   #9
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I would talk to the school n see about what a parking pass will allow (overnight parking, how often a vehicle needs to be moved, etc.) and go from there. A van would be more stealth and easier to find parking for EVERYWHERE down there.
Will you have other means of transportation (bicycle, scooter, etc) or only the bus?
CA code is vehicle cannot be stationary for more than 72 hours unless posted (meaning mostly less than 72 hours) and with the massive homeless and rv residents things are getting out of hand.
If you buy a bus make sure you paint it, not allowed to keep it School bus chrome yellow unfortunately. Thankfully it never gets that cold down there so a warm sleeping bag is all you'll need to keep warm on a winter's night.
If anything, try to find a Wall Mart parking lot that allows overnighters, but dont hold your breath on that.
There are homeless encampments around the area but do your best to avoid them, lots of drama n drugs but an occasional good person too.
I would avoid the roommate deal n enjoy the freedoms of the bus life.
Good luck.
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Old 01-15-2019, 11:33 PM   #10
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Unincorporated Los Angeles

Check out this link to an organization that helps vehicle dwellers find safe parking:

https://www.safeparkingla.org

They serve the homeless population, primarily, so I'm not sure what their attitude would be toward someone making the choice to live in one. I guess it's all in how you frame it. They contract with lots all over the city and you apply to use them, becoming a "tenant" of Safe Parking LA. A lot of the spaces are in church parking lots.

I used to live in Torrance, which is adjacent to a large section of Los Angeles County that is unincorporated, that is, not part of any city. The laws are very different there than in the incorporated areas. This area is lined with vehicle dwellers large and small all the time. You can't really "reserve" a spot though, so every time you pull out you're risking that there won't be a space for you when you come back.

A friend of mine lives in his Class B just outside the gates of a storage facility, where he rents a small unit. The facility is a mom and pop place rather than a chain, and they know he is living there. The security guard even keeps an eye out for him, and he enjoys the free coffee in the office every morning. Though these places aren't going to let you live inside their gates for insurance reasons, many of them seem to be sympathetic to vehicle dwellers, so you frequently see one or more long time parkers grouped near the facilities. Key to this plan is renting a unit, but it can be as simple as a little 5x5 or maybe even a locker.
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