The council needed six votes to overturn the veto but could only muster five, as Councilmember Rob Saka — who had voted for the bill when it passed 6-3 — declined to support the override. Saka said he still supports his original vote, which he described as a response to a status quo that was not working, but wants Wilson's alternative approach to have time to succeed.

"I still support my original vote," Saka said, adding that a lasting solution should combine more shelter and safe parking with enforceable rules and a fairer distribution of impacts across the city.

Wilson vetoed Council Bill 121283, citing concerns about its cost, complexity and enforceability. She also questioned whether a one-time count of RV residents and proof of vehicle ownership might exclude people who become homeless after the census closes or who lack the required documents.

The vetoed bill was part of a broader Vehicle Resident Assistance Program package sponsored by Councilmember Dan Strauss. Wilson signed four companion measures into law but rejected the permit program, which Strauss called a central part of the plan.

Under the failed proposal, unpermitted RVs would have been limited to two hours of parking on city streets and could not park overnight. Eligible residents who owned their vehicles and were included in a one-time city count could have received free permits to park longer in designated industrial areas while working with service providers toward shelter or housing. Vehicles parked in violation of the rules could have been impounded without advance notice.

Strauss said the legislation followed months of consultations with service providers, city departments and the mayor's office. He said it paired clearer limits on RV parking with a path to services for people living in vehicles. He also accused Wilson of reversing an earlier commitment to work with him on implementing the program.

Wilson's office said her position changed after consultations with city departments raised concerns about the program's costs and enforcement, including the expense of storing RVs that residents relinquished.

Instead, Wilson issued an executive order directing city departments to expand outreach and connect RV residents with safe parking, shelter and housing resources. The Human Services Department will support a new RV safe parking lot at Glassyard Commons, expected to open in late November, and the mayor has proposed $3.5 million for a second lot next year.

The executive order also creates a cross-departmental working group to review services, enforcement and policy options. The group is expected to make recommendations within 60 days, and Wilson said she expects to send any necessary legislation to the council by March 31, 2027.

Strauss criticized the mayor for not forming a working group without vetoing the bill. He said the city still lacks a long-term strategy to help people living in RVs move into safer shelter and housing, and that he would adjust next year's budget proposal to remove funding tied to the permit program and a safe lot.

The vote leaves Seattle without a comprehensive policy for addressing the growing number of people living in vehicles, even as the city continues to grapple with a homelessness crisis. Advocates have long argued that RV residents need stable places to park and access to services, while some neighborhood groups have raised concerns about trash, noise and parking impacts.

The failed override means the council will have to wait for the mayor's working group recommendations before pursuing new legislation. In the meantime, the city will rely on the expanded outreach and safe parking efforts outlined in the executive order.