The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors today approved a motion authored by Supervisor Hilda L. Solis, First District, and co-authored by Chair of the Board Holly J. Mitchell, Supervisor for the Second District, on addressing recreational vehicle (RV) encampments in unincorporated areas of the County.
On February 23, 2022, the Los Angeles Department of Transportation (LADOT) published a report which outlines the process for the removal of oversized and other vehicles, parked in violation of posted signs. The report also provided criteria to prioritize the removal of these vehicles. On April 6, 2022, the Los Angeles City Council authorized LADOT to immediately resume parking enforcement for five categories of vehicles detailed in the LADOT report. This includes (1) vehicles that present a traffic safety hazard, (2) vehicles that pose an environmental or public health hazard, (3) vehicles that interfere with public works projects or special events, (4) inoperable vehicles, (5) unregistered vehicles. The City also authorized parking enforcement for all motor vehicles in violation of LADOT’s parking enforcement policy and posted signage beginning on May 15, 2022.
Given that many City of Los Angeles neighborhoods border County unincorporated areas such as East Los Angeles and Willowbrook, spillover of RV encampments is likely.
“The City of Los Angeles opting to restart enforcement will undoubtedly have an impact on unincorporated areas in the County,” said Supervisor Solis. “That is why I’ve introduced this motion ─ to prevent spillover effects on our unincorporated residents and to ensure that those living in RVs have the resources needed to find a more permanent housing solution.”
For many, RVs are a primary residence without which they would be living on the streets. In some cases, individuals are renting RVs from third parties. Many of those RVs are inoperable causing public health hazards from sewage runoffs and improper sewage disposal. To provide relief to the millions of residents sheltering in place, many jurisdictions throughout the State of California relaxed or even suspended their parking enforcement efforts during the pandemic.
“The RVs encampments need specific program to across the county for residents to feel the impact. The enforcement of parking by other jurisdictions simply pushes RVs into other areas. We need regional solutions where all jurisdictions are working together, in alignment across the county for real humane and equitable impact. This motion is about strengthening our tools and programs specific for RV encampments” said Chair Mitchell.
The motion approved today directs the DPW in collaboration with the Homeless Initiative to report back in writing in 14 days with recommendations to mitigate any potential spillover effects of the City of Los Angeles’ RV enforcement for unincorporated areas. Additionally, the motion directs DPW in collaboration with the Homelessness Initiative to identify funding for the implementation of recommendations prioritizing interventions that resolve the re-sale and re-circulation of inoperable RVs.
For more information: https://hildalsolis.org/addressing-recreational-vehicle-encampments-in-unincorporated-la-county/