The Los Angeles City Council voted Aug. 16 to step up enforcement of laws against illegally parked RVs, which they say have taken over some streets and are not being towed.
In 2022, the city voted to lift a pandemic-related moratorium on removing the vehicles.
Since then, many remain, and traffic officers face a lengthy removal process requiring them to offer housing services to any occupants of such vehicles, according to the city.
A measure proposed by Councilman Kevin de León now clarifies that all vehicles stopped or parked in a peak-hour travel lane or in a no-stopping zone can be towed if they are creating an “immediate public safety hazard,” according to the city council’s agenda.
An amendment by Councilman John Lee also removes the requirement that city workers offer housing services for vehicles parked in overnight zones or in no-stopping, no-parking, or metered zones.
The council voted 11 to 3 to approve de Leon’s motion with Lee’s amendments. Councilmembers Eunisses Hernandez, Nithya Raman, and Hugo Soto-Martinez dissented.
Hernandez said the measure is just paying “lip service” to residents as the city lacks the resources to execute the plan. The Los Angeles Department of Transportation (DOT) would be responsible for towing the vehicles but is understaffed, according to Hernandez.
“Our DOT is struggling to cover the work that it has to already do ... we didn’t give them any extra resources for enforcement,” she said.
Councilwoman Monica Rodriguez said she had to personally call the DOT to remove some RVs in her district.
“We have posted no-parking areas, we have posted no oversized parking, and yet there are vehicles that are blatantly parking in these areas with zero enforcement,” she said.
She argued that ordinary vehicles parked improperly or at an expired meter are ticketed almost immediately.
Councilwoman Katy Young Yaroslavsky said that in her district some oversized vehicles remain in place for weeks despite receiving notice.
“I can’t get them to tow oversized vehicles that have been scheduled and set and noticed weeks in advance. So the capacity issue with DOT is point well taken,” she said.
De León said if the DOT is lacking resources, then it’s a budget issue.
“If we think there’s not enough resources, then we figure out a way to come up with resources,” he said.
The council’s vote gives traffic officers the ability to tow vehicles parked in such zones that pose a traffic or public health hazard, are inoperable, or have registrations that are more than six months expired.
Between 2018 and 2022, the city issued more than 6,000 citations to illegally parked oversized vehicles, totaling $675,000 in fines. It’s unclear how much of that amount was paid.
In total, 149 vehicles were impounded, according to a report from the city’s chief legislative analyst posted in the city’s Aug. 14 meeting agenda.
