Congress has cut federal funding for public media — a $3.4 million loss for LAist. We count on readers like you to protect our nonprofit newsroom. Become a monthly member and sustain local journalism.
Legal Aid Foundation sues city of LA alleging lack of transparency in towing practices
RVs parked beside the Ballona Wetlands. The Legal Aid Foundation is suing the city for data to study the effect of towing as a response to parking restrictions.
(
Frederic J. Brown
/
AFP via Getty Images
)
The Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles has filed a lawsuit against the city of L.A. for failing to disclose data on its towing of vehicles cited for parking violations.
The organization said it first requested the data under the California Public Records Act in 2019, and has repeatedly renewed the request since then. The request reportedly was referred to the city attorney’s office in June 2024, though the Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles said it has not received a response.
At the time of writing, the LADOT and city attorney's office have not responded to requests for comment from LAist.
Support for LAist comes from
Why they’re filing the suit
The Legal Aid Foundation of L.A. had requested the data as part of a research initiative into the economic impact of towing, according to Shayla Myers, an attorney with the organization.
The nonprofit, as part of the statewide advocacy coalition Back on the Road, found in 2019 that towing practices can often disproportionately affect people in low-income neighborhoods and communities of color.
“I think it's really valid and really valuable for us to understand when the city of Los Angeles says, 'We're going to have a zero tolerance policy for violations of the municipal code to know if zero tolerance is the same in South Los Angeles as it is in Northeast LA or in the San Fernando Valley,'” Myers said.
Myers added that the foundation’s research shows that enforcing parking restrictions by towing can hurt cities’ bottom line.
“What our research found in other jurisdictions is that that practice is actually harmful to cities,” Myers said. “It costs money for cities to actually engage in that kind of debt collection practice, and it also causes folks to lose their vehicles at a disproportionate rate.”
More parking restrictions in L.A.
The lawsuit comes as the L.A. City Council has directed the L.A. Department of Transportation to increase its enforcement of illegally parked vehicles, including towing vehicles that people live in.
Support for LAist comes from
This move was the subject of an earlier filing from the Legal Aid Foundation of L.A., which called that move “draconian” and a violation of state law and municipal code.
The City Council has also moved to increase parking restrictions in other ways this year, including banning overnight RV parking in many parts of the city.
“The least the city can do is turn over the data that we need to analyze the impact of the policies that they are passing every day,” Myers said. “We want to know what the impact of those bans are on low-income folks. We want to know the impact on unhoused folks, and that's the data that we're seeking.”
The Department of Transportation did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
As Editor-in-Chief of our newsroom, I’m extremely proud of the work our top-notch journalists are doing here at LAist. We’re doing more hard-hitting watchdog journalism than ever before — powerful reporting on the economy, elections, climate and the homelessness crisis that is making a difference in your lives. At the same time, it’s never been more difficult to maintain a paywall-free, independent news source that informs, inspires, and engages everyone.
Simply put, we cannot do this essential work without your help. Federal funding for public media has been clawed back by Congress and that means LAist has lost $3.4 million in federal funding over the next two years. So we’re asking for your help. LAist has been there for you and we’re asking you to be here for us.
We rely on donations from readers like you to stay independent, which keeps our nonprofit newsroom strong and accountable to you.
No matter where you stand on the political spectrum, press freedom is at the core of keeping our nation free and fair. And as the landscape of free press changes, LAist will remain a voice you know and trust, but the amount of reader support we receive will help determine how strong of a newsroom we are going forward to cover the important news from our community.
Please take action today to support your trusted source for local news with a donation that makes sense for your budget.
Thank you for your generous support and believing in independent news.
Chip in now to fund your local journalism
(
LAist
)
Trending on LAist
-
The U.S. Supreme Court lifted limits on immigration sweeps in Southern California, overturning a lower court ruling that prohibited agents from stopping people based on their appearance. -
Censorship has long been controversial. But lately, the issue of who does and doesn’t have the right to restrict kids’ access to books has been heating up across the country in the so-called culture wars.
-
With less to prove than LA, the city is becoming a center of impressive culinary creativity.
-
Monarch butterflies are on a path to extinction, but there is a way to support them — and maybe see them in your own yard — by planting milkweed.
-
With California voters facing a decision on redistricting this November, Surf City is poised to join the brewing battle over Congressional voting districts.
-
The drug dealer, the last of five defendants to plead guilty to federal charges linked to the 'Friends' actor’s death, will face a maximum sentence of 65 years in prison.
Best of LAist