A court has ordered the City of Los Angeles to halt plans to dramatically expand the seizure and destruction of RVs, agreeing with community advocates that the City lacked authority to implement the policy.
In 2026, a new state law allowed the County of Los Angeles and the County of Alameda to dispose of RVs valued at up to $4,000—an increase over the statewide threshold of $500—as part of a limited pilot program. Although cities were not granted the same authority, the Los Angeles City Council nevertheless voted to instruct City departments to implement the higher threshold.
In response, attorneys for the CD 11 Coalition for Human Rights—a group of community advocates and unhoused residents in West LA—sent a demand letter to the Los Angeles City Attorney urging the City to abandon its unlawful plan. The City did not respond, but instead chose to defend its position in court.
In granting the final ruling in favor of CD 11 Coalition and ordering the City to “comply with its mandatory duty to follow the law” by retracting its plan, the Court found that the law was unambiguous, the City’s opposition was factually and legally incorrect, and there was no basis for the City’s position that it could enforce the law.
“When the City acts recklessly, there are serious real-world consequences,” said Peggy Kennedy, member of the CD 11 Coalition for Human Rights. “Thousands of Angelenos rely on RVs as their only home, and the City put them at risk without a second thought.”
The Coalition was represented by the Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles (LAFLA), Western Center on Law & Poverty (WCLP), Disability Rights Education & Defense Fund (DREDF), and ACLU Foundation of Southern California (ACLU SoCal).
“The plain language of AB 630 was clear, yet the City forced our clients to sue the City just to get it to follow the law,” said Shayla Myers, director of impact litigation and policy at the Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles. “This is the correct result, but getting here wasted city resources at a time when political leaders keep telling LA residents there are no resources to spare.”
The Los Angeles City Council is currently considering significant cuts to services for people experiencing homelessness, including cuts to Safe Parking programs and showers and storage for unhoused residents.
“This ruling sends a clear message: no city is above the law. The City tried to fast-track a policy that would have allowed it to destroy people’s homes without authority. The court stopped that before more harm could be done,” said Adrienna Wong, senior staff attorney at the ACLU Foundation of Southern California.
“In a county made up of 88 cities, the court affirmed that one city cannot simply rewrite state law to suit its policy preferences. Today’s ruling restores the rule of law and protects our neighbors who live in RVs from losing their homes to an illegal and reckless policy,” said Rebecca Miller, senior attorney at the Western Center on Law & Poverty.
“The court’s order prevents irreparable harm to some of Los Angeles’s low-income and disabled residents. Instead of spending public resources fighting and punishing people who are already struggling, the City should focus on real housing solutions,” said Erin Neff, senior staff attorney at the Disability Rights Education & Defense Fund.
Nearly 6,500 unhoused Angelenos live in RVs, according to the 2025 Greater Los Angeles Homeless Count.
Earlier this month, a federal court held the City of Los Angeles liable for illegally destroying unhoused people’s property and shelter in a separate case brought by LAFLA. The City is also subject to separate litigation for refusing to release data on the economic impacts of its towing practices even as they continue to increase frivolous RV tows in violation of local, state, and federal law.