City lifts moratorium on towing RVs
LOS ANGELES >> Hundreds of people living in recreational vehicles parked on Los Angeles streets largely have avoided towing thanks to a pandemic-era moratorium on impounding oversized vehicles used as homes.
But on Wednesday, the Los Angeles City Council voted to lift the moratorium amid growing complaints from residents who say some RV dwellers dump human waste on streets, use drugs and accumulate trash.
City officials say they will begin to enforce the regulation next month, prioritizing RVs and campers that are unregistered, inoperable or heavily damaged, as well as ones that interfere with construction, pose a safety hazard by blocking driveways or traffic, or have had multiple responses from the Department of Sanitation. Officials also will resume towing cars that violate posted parking restrictions.
“Residents across the city have contacted my office pleading for help addressing nuisance conditions associated with RVs,” Councilman Joe Buscaino said, “including narcotic sales, fights, loud music, verbal physical threats, intimidation, dumping of wastewater in the street, blocked sightlines, suspected sex trafficking, hoarding, accumulation of trash and large pieces of furniture.”
The proliferation of the large campers has mirrored the rise of homelessness across the region. Removing people from encampments has proved challenging as tensions flare between homeless communities that want to stay put and the city trying to deal with often filthy or unsafe conditions.
A ban on overnight parking still might face challenges in federal court. Last year, in a lawsuit filed on behalf of a class represented by a female RV dweller in Venice, U.S. District Judge David O. Carter declined to issue a preliminary injunction against the law — as long as the moratorium was in place.
Stephen Yagman, the civil rights attorney who filed the suit, said he would “instantly be back in court in front of Judge Carter” and late Wednesday filed an application for a temporary restraining order to stop enforcement of the law.
For those on the streets, RVs can be a respite with their small bathrooms, kitchenettes and places to rest. They are often cheaper than motels.
In January 2021, Los Angeles Department of Transportation General Manager Seleta J. Reynolds wrote in a memo that the agency “will not impound or tow a vehicle that is occupied” and that, even when an occupant is not present, parking enforcement officers must “make a dwelling assessment” to determine if it is being used as living quarters.
Under the new guidelines, traffic officers will be required to document that no one is living in the vehicles set to be towed. If someone resides in a camper, the individual will be asked to move or comply with parking restrictions. For those unwilling to, Los Angles parking officers will notify the Unified Homelessness Response Center and the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority to offer services.
“There will be scenarios in which dangerous vehicles must be removed. Period,” said Councilwoman Monica Rodriguez.
On Slauson Avenue in South Los Angeles on Wednesday, four RVs and three unattached trailers were parked along a block of small homes.