The Los Angeles City Council voted on August 16 to strengthen the enforcement of laws against illegal parking of RVs. The Council stated that these RVs have been occupying parts of the streets and have not been promptly towed away.
In 2022, the Los Angeles City Council decided to terminate the temporary suspension of towing orders put in place in response to the pandemic.
Since then, many RVs have remained parked. The city government explained that traffic enforcement officers have to go through a lengthy process to remove these vehicles and must provide housing assistance for the occupants of the vehicles.
The new measure proposed by Councilman Kevin de León clearly states that any vehicle parked in lanes or no-parking zones during peak hours that poses a “direct public safety risk” can be towed away.
Councilman John Lee’s amendment eliminated the requirement for city staff to provide housing assistance to vehicle occupants parked in overnight parking areas, no-parking zones, no-parking zones, or metered parking areas.
With 11 votes in favor and 3 votes against, the Council passed de León’s proposal and Lee’s amendment.
Councilwoman Eunisses Hernandez, who voted against the measure, said it was merely a superficial appeasement of residents because the city government lacks the resources to implement the plan; the Los Angeles Department of Transportation (DOT) is responsible for towing these vehicles but is currently understaffed.
Councilwoman Monica Rodriguez stated that she had to personally contact the transportation department to remove some RVs in her district.
She said, “We have established no-parking and no-parking for oversized vehicles areas, but there are still vehicles blatantly parked illegally, with little to no enforcement.” Regular vehicles parked improperly or with expired parking meters are almost immediately ticketed.
Councilwoman Katy Young Yaroslavsky mentioned that in her district, despite notices being issued, some oversized vehicles remain parked for weeks.
She said, “I cannot have the transportation department tow away oversized vehicles that were notified and arranged weeks in advance. Therefore, the transportation department’s capacity issue is indeed worth addressing.”
The Council’s decision authorizes traffic enforcement officers to tow vehicles parked in specific areas that pose traffic or public health risks, are inoperable, or have had expired registrations for over six months.
Between 2018 and 2022, the Los Angeles city government issued over 6,000 citations to illegally parked oversized vehicles, totaling fines of $675,000. How many of these fines have been paid is currently unclear.
According to a report from the legislative analyst at the City Hall meeting on August 14, a total of 149 vehicles were confiscated. Data from the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority show approximately 6,900 RVs recorded in 2024.