The Struggle Over Homelessness and R.V. Living in California

In California, an estimated 34,000 homeless individuals seek shelter in their vehicles each night. Tori Larett, a homeless rights lawyer based in Sacramento, believes the actual number could be double. Around 17,000 of these individuals rely on recreational vehicles, converted buses, or travel trailers parked on streets as their homes.

A new law in California, effective from January, targets R.V. owners in Los Angeles and Alameda Counties. It permits authorities to quickly demolish oversized vehicles valued up to $4,000, increasing from the previous $500 limit, if they cannot be moved without a tow truck.

Ms. Larett, also serving as the research director for the National Vehicle Residency Coalition, described the law as part of a broader state effort against R.V.s.

For three days in March, researcher Sam Lutzker explored Los Angeles, collecting narratives from R.V. residents. Approaching the end of his three-year Ph.D. fieldwork in sociology at U.C.L.A., Mr. Lutzker expressed his concern and care for these individuals.

His study focused on City Council District 11 in Los Angeles, where Councilwoman Traci Park leads initiatives to remove R.V.s. After towing operations, she often shares her progress on social media, highlighting efforts to ‘clean’ the streets. Businesses and residents in the area frequently oppose these oversized vehicles, sometimes employing private security to pressure R.V. dwellers to relocate, even when these vehicles are parked legally.

Ms. Park refers to these vehicles as components of expansive encampments hosting dilapidated ‘nuisance vehicles.’ She claims that such areas are rife with crime and unsanitary conditions.

“There’s widespread illegal dumping, including of human waste,” she stated. “These encampments are a public health emergency, a public safety emergency.”