LA, like SF, gets increasingly serious about illegally-parked RV's amid safety concerns
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The Los Angeles City Council approved a motion last Friday allowing the immediate towing of illegally parked vehicles, including RVs, across large areas of the city. Previously, the LAPD was required to ensure vehicles were unoccupied and to offer housing outreach services before towing. The always-enlightening Westside Currents reports.
The new policy grants city workers greater authority to remove RVs and other vehicles used as dwellings by homeless individuals, addressing an issue that has grown since a pandemic-related moratorium on towing was lifted two years ago.
Previously, traffic officers faced difficulties in managing the increasing number of RV encampments, as they were required to ensure vehicles were unoccupied and to offer housing outreach services before towing. The new measure, proposed by Councilmember Kevin de León, passed with an 11-3 vote and permits the towing of vehicles that pose "an immediate public safety hazard" or are parked in peak-hour travel lanes.
Pete Brown, communications director for Councilmember de León said the councilman was pleased with the motion's passage and anticipated it would soon eliminate "dangerous and hazardous" parking that puts pedestrians, bicyclists, and motorists at risk.
Additionally, the council passed an amendment authored by Councilmember John Lee, removing the requirement for city workers to offer housing services if vehicles are parked without a permit in overnight zones or in no-parking, no-stopping, or metered zones.
The policy does not introduce new parking rules but focuses on enforcing existing laws. It gives traffic officers the authority to tow vehicles in restricted zones if they pose a traffic safety or public health hazard, interfere with public works, are inoperable, or if their registration is more than six months expired.
Councilmember Lee described the move as "good, common sense policy." He added, "It puts our city back to where we need it to be and hopefully meets the expectations of the residents of our city that we enforce the laws and rules that we already have on our books."
Read the whole thing here.
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