Homeless drivers off the hook in California as RV encampments spread in Los Angeles
Critics say a new state law rewards long-term vehicle encampments by letting parking tickets slide. Los Angeles Times via Getty Images
California’s newest attempt to address homelessness has barely taken effect — and it is already sparking backlash.
A state law that went into force on New Year’s Day allows homeless and low-income drivers to reduce or eliminate parking tickets. Supporters say the measure is meant to prevent minor citations from spiraling into unpayable debt, vehicle impoundment, or loss of transportation.
Critics argue the law lands in cities where parking enforcement has already been hollowed out, effectively reinforcing years of non-enforcement that turned vehicle dwelling into a long-term condition rather than a temporary solution.
“Enablement is the primary policy directive for dealing with homelessness in California,” said Barry Cassily, a Venice resident who has spent years pushing back against long-term illegal RV parking in his neighborhood. “Taxpayers spend billions, but only a trickle reaches the street. Nothing changes.”
Under the new law, cities and parking agencies may reduce or waive citations based on “extenuating circumstances,” including homelessness or financial hardship. Drivers can request relief at any time — even years after deadlines have passed.
For drivers deemed indigent, penalties are substantially softened. Monthly payment plans can be capped at $25. Late fees and penalty assessments are frozen during enrollment. Processing fees are limited to $5, and DMV registration holds must be lifted once a driver signs up. If a payment is missed, enforcement pauses for 45 days.
In Los Angeles, opponents say this approach mirrors policies adopted during the COVID era that never fully reversed.
As the pandemic hit, the city scaled back parking enforcement, stopped towing vehicles used for dwelling, and expanded amnesty programs. RV encampments grew rapidly during the enforcement freeze, and even after emergency orders expired, enforcement largely failed to resume.
Neighborhood streets became long-term storage areas for RVs, and what began as temporary relief evolved into routine non-enforcement. In parts of East Gardena and West Rancho Dominguez, large clusters of RVs have rotated block by block as cleanup efforts push them from one street to another.
Along Avalon Boulevard, business owners have linked the encampments to illegal dumping, fires, and theft. One owner told ABC7 that his building was stripped of copper wiring and piping in a single weekend — causing roughly $100,000 in damage and forcing him to relocate.
“I had no water, no power. They cut it at the pole,” he said. “They trashed the place.”
A similar situation unfolded for years along Jefferson Boulevard in Playa del Rey, where the Ballona Wetlands RV encampment became one of the region’s most visible examples of unchecked vehicle dwelling. Dozens of RVs lined the roadway, with waste dumped into sensitive wetlands and fire hazards created by generators and heaters.
The encampment persisted until 2023, when new leadership lifted towing restrictions, increased enforcement, and ordered large-scale RV removals and debris cleanup.
Cassily says that history explains why the new law alarms him.
“This isn’t a course correction,” he said. “It’s the state locking in failure and calling it compassion. People with untreated addictions are being left to deteriorate in vehicles outside family neighborhoods. That isn’t caring. It’s madness.”
Residents say the impacts are immediate and visible: blocked driveways, obstructed sight lines, trash, human waste, fires, and oversized RVs parked for weeks near homes, schools, and parks.
“If I park next to an RV in a no-parking zone and get a ticket, I have to pay,” said Susan Collins, a Sherman Oaks homeowner and neighborhood council member. “But the RV doesn’t. That’s discriminatory.”
Collins said the same imbalance applies to citations for expired registration and lack of insurance.
“One group is being held to a completely different standard,” she said. “Laws should be enforced based on violations — not on who the driver is.”
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