At the Pacific Palisades Community Council meeting, Supervisor Lindsey Horvath’s field deputy Zachary Gaidzik announced some good news.
Tow-away signs are being posted on Pacific Coast Highway between Coastline and Topanga Canyon Boulevard (State Route 27) to prevent long-term parking.
That will allow towing of the RVs that continue to park illegally along the road and then never move despite posted signs and being ticketed.
Gaidzik said that some of the RVs came from a distance because it was announced on some online sites that there was free camping along the ocean (there are no facilities and no place for dumping gray water).
There are restrictions that went in place in 2019, after the California Coastal Commission approved the posting of signage that specified “No Parking” from midnight to 2 a.m. on the landward side of PCH and “No Parking” on the ocean side of PCH between 2 and 4 a.m. daily between Pacific Palisades (Coastline) and Malibu.
The goal of the signs was to prevent long-term camping, which deprived all residents of the right to view the ocean from the highway. That effort was led by former Supervisor Sheila Kuhl’s office.
Fast forward to June 20, 2024, L.A. County Beaches and Harbors Transportation Engineer Bary Kurtz wrote to the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department “I’ve noticed a lot of campers parked overnight along PCH in the Topanga/Malibu area. There are NO PARKING 2 a.m. to 4 a.m. signs on the beach side and NO PARKING 12 a.m. to 2 a.m. signs on the land side. Have you noticed campers moving from one side to the other to avoid ticketing?
“Does the Sheriff enforce the ‘no parking’ regulations in the area?” Kurtz asked.
The Sheriff’s Department responded: “This area is a huge problem. We have been in contact with the 3rd District BOS (Board of Supervisor) reps. The residents that live above PCH in the Sunset Mesa area are fed up with the RV’s, general decay, trash, etc. They have been demanding change.
“There are several issues at play. We do parking enforcement but most of the people living in their vehicles do not care about the parking tickets. They won’t pay them, and the Courts have taken away law enforcement’s ability to tow for unpaid parking tickets (Coalition on Homelessness v. City and County of San Francisco, 93 Cal. App. 5th 928 (2023).”
The Malibu Times reported in an October 10 story that Malibu Lost Hills Sheriff’s Captain Jennifer Seetoo said, “The owners of the RVs are illegally tapping into the Southern California Edison pole to run electricity to their vehicles — this is very dangerous.”
She added that a Caltrans team cleaning up the area found propane tanks and evidence of the RV owners cooking with an open flame outside in a high fire danger zone. “Caltrans has picked up feces and urine all over the place — the RV residents are using the storm drains as porta potties and the drains go all the way into the ocean.” Seetoo said.
Initially, after the Grants Pass vs. Johnson decision, Horvath who chairs the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority Commission wrote: “This morning’s Supreme Court Grants Pass ruling green lights the criminalization of homelessness. This gut punch of a decision comes on the day we unveil our point in time count results. This is unconscionable. And it is not an effective solution. We know what works in Los Angeles County—partnership, accountability, scrutinizing the status quo, and aligning all resources.”
Gaidzik said that the RVs parking along the road were different because the people appeared to be flaunting the rules. L.A. County Public Works will install 26 new signs, which will make enforcement possible.
Right, just as the signs posted in 2019 made a difference. Where are they going to tow the rvs TO? And, how much will it cost US to impound them? Most of the rvs are unsellable…
Finally!!!!!! Great news for the community so long as law enforcement enforces the signs
Finally, some movement. How long will it take to install said signs? That is the question.
Why only between Pacific Palisades (Coastline) and Malibu?
The Permanent RV camp is just as severe between Topanga and Will Rogers. The junk campers have been ensconced there, blocking views, dumping waste and bringing crime for years. Just look at the RVs between Mastros and Topanga, as well as on the strip between Gladstones eastward. This seems to be LAPD territory and LAPD seems to be unwilling to address the issue and clean up the beach and parking