The Los Angeles City Council’s Transportation Committee unanimously approved a motion Wednesday introduced by Councilmember Traci Park, aimed at regulating the dwelling of oversized vehicles in areas near schools, daycare centers, residential neighborhoods, and parks.

Councilmember Park’s proposal includes limiting oversized vehicle dwellings in residential areas while establishing designated zones where RVs can park and access essential services such as housing assistance as well as bathroom facilities, identifying suitable locations in each council district for oversized vehicle parking, a permit system at no cost, and regular sanitation and trash collection services. Additionally, the motion calls for the provision of wrap-around services and safety measures.

The motion aims to identify better locations for these vehicles and ensure RV dwellers can access those necessary services.

According to the motion, oversized vehicles, specifically recreational vehicles, create challenges along the residential and commercial corridors where they park and create severe habitability issues for the occupants.

The city has explored ways to mitigate these impacts, including restrictions on oversize vehicle parking during certain hours, exploring the approach of other cities relative to oversize vehicle parking, assessing the feasibility and cost of waste pumping services, enforcing against van-lords, implementing rehousing pilot programs, and in 2023, adopting a citywide framework to rehouse individuals who are experiencing homelessness in their RVs.

“The impacts of oversized vehicles, which are designed for recreational use, not long-term urban dwelling, are felt across our city. They include the illegal discharge of hazardous substances into storm drains and public rights of way, harming our environment; occupying parking spaces in parking-scarce neighborhoods; reducing roadway space on narrow streets; impeding line of sight at intersections and driveways; and, in certain instances, contributing to crime and heightened risk of fire,” Park states in the motion.

Park’s motion adds, “The urgency of this crisis, in addition to the profound neighborhood impacts, demands immediate action. While the city may lack parking lots of its own where RVs can safely park and access services, the city should leverage every public asset within its jurisdiction, leaving no stone unturned. This includes our public rights of way, where a program, with proper restrictions, could provide centralized locations for RVs to park and access services.”

According to the 2023 point-in-time count from the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority, there are 14,096 individuals experiencing homelessness in their vehicles in Los Angeles County, which represents a 9.5 percent increase since 2022.

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