Dear Los Angeles City Council,
I am writing to urge you to vote NO on Council File 25-1257. Los Angeles currently has no citywide, trauma-informed program to help people transition from inoperable RVs into housing—and nothing in this motion requires an offer of hotel or temporary shelter.
Instead of expanding enforcement, the City should focus on improving its own poor track record with Vehicle Dwelling Operations. Between June 2022 and June 2024, the City conducted 372 operations involving 2,823 vehicle dwellings. The results were dismal: 1,134 parking citations issued, 638 vehicles impounded, and only 196 people housed (City Clerk report
). These numbers don’t even include one-off tow operations targeting vehicle residents for the 72-hour parking rule or expired registration.
Under AB 630, if law enforcement estimates an RV to be worth $4,000 or less and deems it “abandoned,” they can begin the process of destroying someone’s home—forcing that person into street homelessness. Even the costly Inside Safe program has seen high rates of people returning to the streets after temporary shelter.
What Los Angeles needs is funding for real services and resources, not more punitive operations. Prioritize investments that actually help people find and keep housing.
As documented in a recent Venice Justice Committee survey, for many residents priced out of traditional housing, a vehicle becomes the safest available option. Without affordable housing, this often turns into a long-term reality. While many RVs fall into disrepair, towing and destroying them without offering assistance is simply cruel.
There are no City programs that help with RV repairs or DMV registration, and existing “Safe Parking” programs are woefully inadequate. In fact, unless you are a veteran or part of a small county pilot, there are no Safe Parking options for RVs in Los Angeles—even as public lots sit empty every night.
Please reject this motion to implement AB 630 and instead focus on improving LA’s vehicle dwelling operations. Parking stability, sustained outreach, and real housing offers—rooted in respect and trust—will do far more to reduce homelessness than punishment ever could.
