RV owners ignore the “No Parking” regulations on Pacific Coast Highway across from the Ocean.
Among some of the hottest days of the summer, many nearby L.A. County Beaches have been closed because of elevated bacterial levels from fecal matter.
Storm drains that operate during the dry season were installed as part of Prop O, a Clean Water Bond ($500 million passed in November 2004). The water is captured and sent to the Hyperion Plant, helping the City meet Federal Clean Water Standards and keeping bacteria out of the water.
But, fecal matter may be coming from another source. There are scores of RVs parked along Pacific Coast Highway, with no place to dump sewage tanks. According to Unique Camping + Marine, holding tanks should be dumped every three to five days.
One reader on July 16 wrote, “Have you noticed the number campers along PCH between Coastline and Topanga? I thought there were restrictions in place.”
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, L.A. County Beaches and Harbors Transportation Engineer Barry 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? What do you think of having the NO PARKING times changed to no parking on both sides of PCH during the same periods so the campers would have to move away?
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 Sheriff’s office cited the inability to do anything more until Grants Pass Oregon V. Johnson was decided. On June 28, the Supreme Court sided with Grants Pass and gave local governments the ability to enact and enforce criminal penalties for acts like public camping or sleeping – even in areas where there is limited local shelter space.
CTN reaching out to Lindsey Horvath’s Housing and Homelessness Liaison, Jonah Glickman, on July 12. Glickman was asked if Horvath would hold all people accountable to the law, including RVs. He did not respond. CTN reached out to Horvath’s public spokesperson Constance Ferrell on July 16 and said this story would run on July 17 and asked, “Will Lindsey ask the sheriff to enforce the signs?”
Lindsey Horvath
There was no response, but following 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.”
Pacific Palisades and Malibu residents, who feel that RV’s should be parked where there are appropriate sanitation facilities and who feel that parking laws along Pacific Coast Highway should be enforced, can contact Horvath’s office (213) 974-3333 or her homelessness liaison Jonah Glickman jglickman@bos.lacounty.gov or her Environmental Deputy Aaron Ordower aordower@box.lacounty.gov or her field deputy Zachary Gaidzik zgaidzik@bos.lacounty.gov.
(Editor’s note: After Circling the News sent out the July 17 newsletter with this story at 8 p.m., Horvath’s office sent a reply around 10 p.m. that “Our team is watching this closely and working to connect those living in RVs to shelter and services.”)
Sadly this situation is getting worse. There are now 3 campers/rvs that have been parked on the ocean side of PCH between Porto Marina and Coastline in the city of Los Angeles for 2 to 3 weeks. I’ve asked Councilwoman Park who is much more realistic in her approach to dealing with the homeless than Supervisor Horvath to specify the beachfront stretches of PCH within Council District 11 to be no-camping areas as the beach should be considered a public park. Access to clean and safe beaches is one of the joys of living in Los Angeles and must be protected and preserved.
Us local surfers call that strip Sh*tty City.