LA’s law against sleeping in cars on residential streets expired at the end of June, and Los Angeles Police Department officers have been instructed not to cite people until the ordinance is reapproved, NBC reports.
According to the TV station, LAPD Chief Michael Moore sent a memo last week telling officers to hold off on writing tickets for sleeping in cars until the new ordinance is approved by the Los Angeles City Council.
A request to extend the law for for another six months to January 1, 2020 was approved by the City Council in May, but the draft ordinance still needs council approval. The ordinance isn’t scheduled to go before the council until July 30, when the council returns from its summer recess.
Until then, it appears it will not be enforced.
The ban on sleeping in cars went into effect in 2017 and was set to expire in July 2018. But it has been has been incrementally extended since then. The most recent extension, approved in December, was slated to come to an end on July 1.
The law only applies to residential streets, but more and more non-residential streets have been marked off-limits for those living in their cars and RVs—a group estimated to include more than 16,500 people in the most recent homeless count.
The city’s law has drawn fire from homeless advocates who say the monetary fines attached to citations make it even harder Angelenos who are already struggling financially to climb out of homelessness.
Perhaps in response to that criticism, the motion to extend the sunset date of the ordinance until July, authored by Councilmember Mitch O’Farrell, notes that the city is in the middle of both an expansion of the Safe Parking program and “a reassessment of the vehicle dwelling policy, its implementation, and potential amendments to improve the policy, including establishing incentives for communities to embrace safe parking in their neighborhoods.”
The motion says the review of the policy hasn’t been completed, and extending the law again would give the council time to “fully reassess the matter.”
The city’s ordinance replaced a similar but stricter law banning living in vehicles everywhere in LA that was struck down in 2014.
Comments
There is so much to this blogpost that makes my blood boil. CurbedLA is as blind to the reality on the streets as Our city government.
By Cleavon Little on 07.19.19 9:22am
What specifically boils your blood? Seems pretty straightforward reporting, poorly edited, but straightforward.
By LosFeliz$ean on 07.19.19 10:22am
How is sleeping in a vehicle, a car or an RV, worse than pitching a tent or sleeping on cardboard on the sidewalk? The first example has been illegal and the second not.
By grl grl on 07.19.19 10:11am
Between a car in a normal parking spot and a tent blocking the entire sidewalk, who wouldn’t prefer someone stick to sleeping in their car?
By disqusted on 07.19.19 2:15pm
Yes, sleeping in a van is safer, you can store your belonging, you can cook, you can even turn on the heater or AC.
If you go to a shelter, you’ll have to sleep among drug addicts, somebody will steal your belongings, somebody can molest you.
By Ivan III on 07.19.19 3:29pm
The City needs to impose a no overnight parking for oversized vehicles city wide. Santa Monica and Beverly Hills both have that parking restriction and it solves the problem.
By LADude on 07.19.19 10:42am
I think LA does it on a block-by-block basis. There are a about 3 or 4 RVs that regularly park near me. They are maybe a bit of an eyesore, but all are driveable and I’ve never even see the people who live in them. The area around them is always clear and they don’t block the streets, so I can’t really complain too much. I’m sure its worse in other places.
Some are even kinda fun. The Squidmobile in Los Feliz is always a "what the hell is THAT?!" moment. But again; never blocking traffic, always clean, no guy off his meds ranting and raving at people. Just a random spray-paint-blue short school bus.
I think any RVs that are being disruptive can be dealt with under normal nuisance laws without passing blanket bans on "sleeping in a car," which are on some legal thin ice.
By Greyvagabond on 07.19.19 1:54pm
Exactly. There’s the mobile-homeless who are very respectful of the neighborhoods and residents. Some pull up in the evening, stay and are gone before most people walk outside. Most people don’t mind as they are chill and just doing what they have to to survive, the ones who litter, argue, thrash the place are different story,
As far as the overnight thing around the beach area they posted "no automobiles above 7’ tall" signs on some streets and they aren’t enforced for the most part. Venice tried to get permit parking a few years back and costal commission denied it as it violated public beach access laws or something like that. Assuming that other parts of the city could get together and request/file for permit parking to combat this issue.
By Or_NAH on 07.19.19 3:02pm
Yeah, no. It’s patently unfair for someone to get to live for free parked in front of a house whose owners pay tens of thousands per year in property taxes. And the laws in SaMo and BH aren’t that you are not allowed to sleep in a vehicle, they are based on the height and length of the vehicle which is perfectly legal. The City of LA should grow a pair and ban overnight parking for all oversized vehicles.
By LADude on 07.22.19 12:34pm
I heard people has to sleep in unremarkable minivans like the ones from Uhaul.
By Ivan III on 07.19.19 11:30am
Let them live in these rundown campers – just give them a place to park with hookups for electricity and water. It’s the fastest and least costly solution. and you can easily provide free wifi. it has to be much cheaper creating RV parks around the city than building an entire building. just like a campground it can have laundry facilities and community bathrooms if you don’t have one in your camper.
By LAoneWay on 07.19.19 12:19pm
RV parks need massive amounts of land. also putting electrical/sewer hookups would require running lines from the city drop to each location an RV would be parked, most of that would require excavating land to run the lines for both power and sewer underground. It’s not cheap or cost effective.
By Or_NAH on 07.19.19 3:15pm
It would at least provide some sort of solution rather than waiting 25 years for housing to get built. land is expensive for sure but if that’s going to stop you from doing something you’re never going to do anything and we’ll continue to see this problem escalate.
By LAoneWay on 07.22.19 5:52am
Awwwnnn….h*ll no….here we go again. Round and round.
I have been living in my minivan and sleeping around LA with no problem at all.
The trick is to blend in. Stealth is your friend. If your car looks like every other car, how are they gonna know the difference?
And the Freedom™ of not having to pay rent is so liberating. It’s the best. And all the money I’ve saved. Oh my toady!!!
I Love LA!
By I_Love_LA on 07.19.19 12:55pm
Where do you get water and electricity?
By Ivan III on 07.19.19 2:57pm
Gym Membership is your friend!
By I_Love_LA on 07.19.19 11:10pm
Assuming you’re a troll account but can you give us some reasons as to why you choose to stay in LA area even though you are living in your car? Why haven’t you moved to a better location where you can afford to live and still save money? Are you tied to a job that keeps you here but doesn’t pay enough to house yourself? – honest questions here as this site never really gets your side of the story,
By Or_NAH on 07.19.19 3:07pm
I choose to hang around LA for the same reasons the homeless addicts on Skid Row do.
The weather. The women. The weed.
But since my minivan is my rolling hotel room, I can rest my head anywhere at night and I do.
Hollywood. Santa Monica. Venice Beach. Long Beach. DTLA. San Diego. Las Vegas. Anywhere my heart desires.
Try doing that when you’re tied down to a single place. You can’t. Freeeeeeedoommmm!!!!!
And oh, my gym membership gets my all the showers and water I need!
By I_Love_LA on 07.19.19 11:10pm
I choose to hang around LA for the same reasons the homeless addicts on Skid Row do.
The weather. The women. The weed.
By I_Love_LA on 07.19.19 11:10pm
live in a minivan, invest in domain names.
PURE GENIUS!
By Lascivious Cumquat on 07.22.19 11:31am
If we’re not going to build housing on city-owned parking lots, we should create safe lots where homeless people can park and get better access to services and social workers. SF is starting to do it.
By Partymuscles on 07.19.19 4:14pm
We’re also starting to do it too, this is the org I hear about the most: https://www.safeparkingla.org/about-spala
By disqusted on 07.19.19 4:33pm
Second time today, I agree with Partymuscles. Seems to me the goal of government is to keep everyone as safe as possible, parking lots that earmarked for people living in their vehicles looks like a win win to me.
By JLW.LA on 07.19.19 4:38pm
This law is such bull. I am so tired of all our "representatives" only looking out for those of us with money! As for all of you who are complaining about homeless people parking on your street, imagine how they feel! They’re homeless!! We should be working together to help each other not fine people till they lose the only roof over their heads!! I say make them all refugees and give them the same benefits we give them! Problem solved! Plus we’d know then who wants to be homeless and who is just been outsourced for someone from another country.
By Trina Louise Gilmer on 08.18.19 12:55pm