Editorial: Towing RVs without offering help only leaves more people living on the street

Laura Garciaros, pictured on July, 18, 2023, lives with six cats in an RV parked in the 7000 block of Fair Avenue in North Hollywood. Unfortunately, the L.A. City Council’s recent solution — to tow illegally parked RVs in some areas without doing outreach or offering services or temporary housing — is likely to backfire and runs counter to the city’s efforts to reduce street homelessness. The Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles, in a letter to the city attorney, said the council overstepped its authority in ordering towing of vehicles that may violate parking restrictions but don’t constitute a traffic or public safety hazard or aren’t parked in posted tow-away zones. City officials have increased outreach to RV campers in recent years, including through Mayor Karen Bass’ Inside Safe program, which offers people in encampments interim housing, mostly in motels and hotels. The city should consider other options as well, including using city lots to offer short-term RV storage and opening safe parking lots for RVs.