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PROPOSED LEGISLATION - Assemblymember Mark González (D-Los Angeles), in partnership with Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, has introduced AB 630, a bill aimed at accelerating housing solutions for individuals experiencing homelessness who reside in recreational vehicles (RVs). The legislation seeks to enhance public safety, address environmental concerns, and complement programs like Mayor Bass’ Inside Safe initiative which provides interim housing options and a pathway to permanent housing for people residing in RVs and encampments.
"Too many Angelenos are living in unsafe and unsanitary conditions inside broken-down RVs with no access to basic services. Meanwhile, our neighborhoods are dealing with the consequences of these vehicles being abandoned or recycled back onto the streets," said Assemblymember González. "AB 630 takes a necessary step toward improving public safety, preserving public spaces, and connecting those in need to better housing solutions."
"For the first time in six years, homelessness is down in Los Angeles, and we continue taking steps to address and resolve RV encampments across the city," said Mayor Bass. "AB 630 will allow us to expand on this work by bringing people into temporary housing, recycling unsafe and unlivable RVs, and making our streets safer."
“Too many unhoused Angelenos are living in RVs that are unsafe, unsanitary, and never meant to be homes. AB 630 allows cities like Los Angeles to remove vehicles that have been abandoned, are leaking hazardous waste, or are being snapped up by predatory vanlords. These vanlords buy dilapidated RVs at auction for next to nothing and rent them out to people with no plumbing, no electricity, and no safety standards. That’s not housing, it’s exploitation,” said Los Angeles City Councilmember Katy Yaroslavsky. “This bill helps stop that cycle and makes it harder for bad actors to profit off people’s desperation. I’m grateful to Assemblymember González for advancing a solution rooted in urgency and compassion.”
According to the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority (LAHSA), nearly 6,500 individuals experiencing homelessness in the city live in approximately 4,000 RVs. This number has surged by 40% since 2018, now making up 22% of the city’s unsheltered homeless population. Many of these RVs are in severe disrepair, exposing their occupants to hazardous conditions while also posing public health and safety risks, such as improper waste disposal, fire hazards from external generators, and environmental damage.
Under current law, the owner of an impounded vehicle must be notified and given 10 days to reclaim it. If unclaimed after 15 days, vehicles valued between $501 and $4,000—most RVs—are typically auctioned through lien sales. However, due to a backlog of over 60,000 vehicles at the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV), lien sales often take 30-150 days. This delay strains local governments' storage capacity and limits their ability to remove additional unsafe vehicles. Furthermore, many RVs are sold for as little as $50 to predatory buyers – commonly referred to as “vanlords” – who put them back on the streets for rent, perpetuating a cycle of unsafe housing.
AB 630 proposes the expedited removal and responsible disposal of impounded RVs valued under $4,000 to break this cycle, expanding upon existing law that allows for RVs valued at $500 or less to be dismantled without lien sales. By taking these unsafe vehicles off the streets, the bill seeks to address environmental and public safety concerns, including blocked roadways, illegal waste disposal, fire risks, and criminal activity associated with RV encampments.
The bill builds on Mayor Bass' previously sponsored legislation, AB 2525 (Zbur, 2024), which enables the city to lease California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) property at reduced rates for RV storage while individuals transition into permanent housing through the Mayor’s Inside Safe program.
(Assemblymember Mark González is the Assembly Majority Whip. He represents the 54th Assembly District composed of the cities of Los Angeles, Commerce, Montebello, and Vernon.)
