LA leaders tout proposed bill to address RVs on city streets ...Middle East

Los Angeles elected officials on Thursday touted a state bill that would expedite the destruction of impounded recreational vehicles valued under $4,000, a move they say will reduce RV encampments on city streets.

On Thursday, Assemblyman Mark González, D-Los Angeles, announced the introduction of AB 630, a bill aimed at “accelerating housing solutions” for homeless people living in RVs in partnership with LA Mayor Karen Bass.

The proposed law aims to enhance public safety, address environmental concerns and complement programs like Bass’ signature encampment resolution initiative, Inside Safe, officials said.

“Too many Angelenos are living in unsafe and unsanitary conditions inside broken-down RVs with no access to basic services. Meanwhile, our neighborhoods are dealing with the consequences of these vehicles being abandoned or recycled back onto the streets,” González said in a statement. “AB 630 takes a necessary step toward improving public safety, preserving public spaces, and connecting those in need to better housing solutions.”

Under current law, the owner of an impounded vehicle must be notified and given 10 days to reclaim it. After 15 days, vehicles valued between $501 and $4,000 — most RVs — can be auctioned through lien sales. But with a backlog of more than 60,000 vehicles, the Department of Motor Vehicles reports such sales can take 30 to 150 days.

According to González office, the delays strain local government’s storage capacity and limits their ability to remove the unsafe vehicles. It also poses another problem as many RVs can be sold for as little as $50 to predatory buyers — or “vanlords” — who can put them back on the streets for rent.

AB 630 would expedite removal and disposal of impounded RVs, expanding on existing regulations that allow for RVs valued at $500 or less to be dismantled without lien sales.

Last year, state legislators approved AB 2525, enabling cities to lease California Department of Transportation property at reduce rates for RV storage.

The 2024 Greater Los Angeles Homeless Count found nearly 6,500 individuals living in about 4,000 RVs. The Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority noted in its annual count that the figure has surged by 40% since 2018.

According to LAHSA, many of the RVs are in severe disrepair with improper waste disposal, fire hazards from external generators and pose environmental harm.

“For the first time in six years, homelessness is down in Los Angeles, and we continue taking steps to address and resolve RV encampments across the city,” Bass said in a statement. “AB 630 will allow us to expand on this work by bringing people into temporary housing, recycling unsafe and unlivable RVs, and making our streets safer.”

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City Councilwoman Katy Yaroslavsky, former chair of the Energy and Environment Committee, added that too many unhoused Angelenos are living in RVs that are unsafe, unsanitary and that were never meant to be homes.

“This bill helps stop that cycle and makes it harder for bad actors to profit off people’s desperation,” Yaroslavsky said in a statement.

Additionally, on Wednesday four City Council members — Monica Rodriguez, John Lee, Imelda Padilla and Traci Park — introduced a motion to expand the city’s anti-camping law, known as 41.18, to prohibit RVs from being parked around schools, daycares, underpasses and other areas deemed sensitive or of concern.

The motion is expected to be heard by the Housing and Homelessness Committee at a future date.

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