Living In Parked Cars Is No Longer Illegal
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The homeless will no longer be criminalized for living in their cars. (Jorobeq, Wikimedia Commons)
The 1983 law prohibits the use of a vehicle “as living quarters either overnight, day-by-day, or otherwise.”
A three-judge panel declared that the law was too ambiguous as to what constituted a violation and “criminalizes innocent behavior.” Their ruling stated that the plaintiffs’ action of keeping their personal effects in their vehicles was perfectly legal.
Four people who were cited and arrested by an LAPD homelessness task force for keeping their belongings in their vehicles brought suit against the City of Los Angeles.
Los Angeles City Attorney Mike Feuer stated that the city would not be appealing the ruling; a replacement ordinance that “respects both the rights…or homeless individuals and protects the quality of life in our neighborhoods.”
