In collaboration with the Los Angeles Department of Transportation (LADOT), District 9 Councilman Curren Price launched the "Clear the Streets. Take Back Our Neighborhoods" initiative, which aims to address the problem of hundreds of abandoned and inoperable vehicles, which will be towed to a yard, and fines for violation can range from hundreds to thousands of dollars.

In addition to the bad look they cause in South Los Angeles neighborhoods, dirty, dusty vehicles abandoned and parked on the streets are surrounded by trash or used as shelters for the homeless. Now, they are going to be cleared of all streets.

“Abandoned and inoperable vehicles contribute to the deterioration of neighborhoods, attract illegal dumping of trash, reduce parking availability and affect the quality of life of residents,” said Councilman Price, during a press conference at the intersection of 80th Street and Avalon Avenue.

Through the new collaboration, City Council District 9 and LADOT will provide residents with the information and tools needed to help keep neighborhoods cleaner and safer as they work to get them back on track.

The “Clear the Streets, Take Back Our Neighborhoods” initiative includes a district-wide public education campaign that will feature large, strategically placed advertisements, billboards, informational and outreach materials, social media content, and other community outreach efforts to help residents understand when a vehicle may be eligible for removal and how to properly report abandoned and inoperable vehicles through the official City of Los Angeles process.

Councilman Price noted that his office's response is out of shared concern for neighborhoods throughout South Central Los Angeles, where abandoned and inoperable vehicles continue to impact quality of life.

“They create safety problems and decrease the quality of life of those who reside here,” said Councilman Price. “It's an issue that affects neighborhoods throughout this area of ​​Los Angeles.”

Residents surprised by trailers

Enoc Solórzano, a clerk at the Minimarket Cold Beer convenience store, was surprised when a tow truck from Los Angeles Official Police Garages towed a white van that was parked near his business.

Why did they do it?" he asked. "The owner was not even informed that they were taking his truck," he said.

For her part, Yvonne L. couldn't believe her eyes. His sister's red car was taken to a corralón. A citation had been placed on his windshield on Wednesday and no one paid attention to removing him from the street.

Although the car looked like a piece of junk, it was crashed and two wheels were missing; The license plates had expired since June 2026.

“It was parked on the street because we couldn't move it anywhere; we were going to fix it,” he told La Opinión.

And, although two young Colombians, Alejandro Castaneda and Alejandro Guzman, wanted to help him recover the belongings he had in the trunk, an OPG officer informed him that he could do it in the corralón.

Los Angeles Official Police Garages (OPG) works with 17 tow and tow companies, including one in LAPD Division 77

“A good start”

June Richard, a 64-year-old community activist, told La Opinión that the problem of abandoned and inoperable cars has increased in the last 5 to 10 years.

"I think the explanation is due to the lack of housing. Many of the homeless are the ones who bring those vehicles to the neighborhood. They are the ones who steal the cars, bring them, sleep in them as their home and then abandon them," he reported.

Ms. Richard noted that many of the criminal acts that occur in South Los Angeles will be reduced thanks to Councilmember Curren Price's approach.

“Everywhere in this area of ​​the city, people double park and it causes a lot of problems for all the other vehicles on the street; there is not enough parking space for so many cars, let alone all the stolen vehicles parked in the parking areas.”

Towing fees cost “an arm and a leg”

The City of Los Angeles and the Los Angeles Police Commission regulate and set towing and garage deposit fees.

Towing and deposit charges must be paid prior to vehicle delivery.

Various municipal agencies may order vehicle towing for various reasons. Towing and deposit fees are uniform throughout the City of Los Angeles.

If a vehicle is not picked up on the same day it was towed, additional daily deposit charges will apply.

For a standard vehicle, the first hour or fraction thereof has a cost of $220.00, and for each additional half hour or fraction thereof, after the first hour, $109.00 is charged.

However, the specific towing, recovery and storage fee starts at $400.00, and $200.00 for each additional half hour or fraction thereof after the first hour.

And if that's not enough, the City of Los Angeles charges $115.00 for each released vehicle and applies a 10% city parking occupancy tax to all vehicle storage fees.

What vehicles can be subject to removal?

Not all vehicles are subject to removal. If a car is occupied when an officer arrives, the officer will ensure compliance before issuing a ticket or towing the vehicle. Cars showing signs of shelter use will be referred for outreach services.

Vehicles that are eligible to be taken off the road or towed include:

Do you want to report an abandoned and inoperable vehicle?

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