As RV camps fill neighborhoods, new law is aimed at reducing them in L.A.

Mayor Karen Bass promises Angelenos will see more RV encampments cleared and people housed after Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a bill that opens up more than two dozen properties near L.A. freeways to store towed RVs, feed homeless individuals and provide emergency shelter.

The legislation carried by Assemblyman Rick Chavez Zbur, who represents Santa Monica, Beverly Hills, Hollywood Hills and other Westside communities, gives Los Angeles access to 25 Caltrans parcels under or near freeways for $1 a month.

The bill sponsored by Bass aims to solve the logistical problem that has vexed city officials for years — where to store towed RVs.

Angelenos will “see the difference in more RV encampments being cleared,” Clara Karger, a spokeswoman for Bass, said in an emailed statement.

But it might take a while. At the moment, only one of the California Department of Transportation’s 64 so-called airspace properties is available.

“As other properties become available, Caltrans will contact the city,” Matt Rocco, the agency’s spokesperson, said in an email.

City officials have struggled for years with a shortage of vehicles that can tow the hulking campers that now line communities from Van Nuys to South Los Angeles.

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Even when tow trucks are available, there often isn’t a city yard where these recreational vehicles can be held. Some are legally required to be held for up to 120 days before being destroyed, claimed or auctioned.

There are only 325 spaces for RVs in city lots, and as of early 2024, 95% were occupied, according to a legislative analysis.

Councilmember Monica Rodriguez, who created a home placement program in her San Fernando Valley district for people living in RVs, said the legislation isn’t a panacea but it addresses “one of our biggest obstructions to facilitating these RVs getting off the street in a more expedited fashion.”

During the pandemic, there was an explosion of people living in tattered recreational vehicles parked in neighborhoods and industrial stretches. The influx has raised the ire of many neighbors, who complain about unsightly tarps, trash, raw sewage and crime, even as the camps are essential housing for thousands of people. Unlike tent camps that can be cleared easily, RVs pose serious logistical issues.

Bass pushed for the bill in hopes that it would help her as she expands her Inside Safe effort beyond tent encampments. In December, more than 50 RVs were cleared along Forest Lawn Drive, with roughly 31 dwellers accepting housing and 20 RVs turned over to the city.

“RV encampments pose a range of tactical and logistical challenges that require legislative and regulatory fixes,” Bass said in announcing its passage. “This bill will help us move RVs out of neighborhoods and bring more Angelenos into housing in a faster and cheaper way.”