LA neighborhood launches drastic measure to clear streets of abandoned vehicles

By New York Post (U.S.) | Created at 2026-08-07 19:36:04 | Updated at 2026-08-07 20:10:21 34 minutes ago

South Los Angeles is declaring war on its four-wheeled eyesores, plastering the neighborhood with signs urging residents to report abandoned vehicles clogging up the streets.

Los Angeles City Councilmember Curren Price launched the “Clear the Streets. Reclaim Our Neighborhoods” campaign Thursday, putting up roughly 20 billboards and signs throughout South LA.

A billboard encouraging people to report and help clean the street is seen in South Los Angeles. FOX LA

The $25,000 campaign is expected to run through the end of the year as city officials try to tackle a problem residents say has been festering for years.

“Abandoned vehicles contribute to neighborhood blight, attract illegal dumping, create safety concerns, and diminish the quality of life for people who live there,” Price said in announcing the campaign, according to Fox11.

A new campaign in the area is urging residents to report abandoned vehicles, as city officials and community members debate whether the effort will make a difference. FOX LA

And residents say the abandoned-car problem is hardly the only eyesore.

A drive through parts of South LA reveals streets dotted with abandoned and inoperable cars, RVs, piles of trash, encampments and even boats that appear to have been left behind.

For resident Onaqui Barroso, the city’s latest campaign is long overdue.

“It’s a real f—ing joke, because I see abandoned cars everywhere all the time,” Barroso told the outlet. “Some of them — stolen cars — for years.”

A South Los Angeles resident gives their perspective on abandoned cars flooding neighborhood streets. FOX LA

Local resident June Richards said abandoned vehicles can become more than an eyesores when people begin living in them.

“The way that they’re using the vehicles, part of sleeping in them, not allowing residents to come in and out of their homes,” Richards told CBS. “Also, residents, we need to do more calling. We need to do more advocating for our community.”

Under the city’s process, reporting a suspicious vehicle sets the wheels in motion.

An officer checks on and flags cars on the street as part of a cleanup campaign in South Los Angeles. FOX LA

Crews will mark one of the vehicle’s tires. If it hasn’t moved within 72 hours, officials can issue a citation. Roughly 24 hours later, the vehicle can be towed if it still appears abandoned and there’s no evidence that someone is living inside.

The campaign arrives as Price approaches the final months of his more than 13 years representing South LA on the City Council, prompting some residents to wonder why the push is happening now.

Resident Monika De Niz said she hopes the city’s cleanup effort doesn’t stop with abandoned cars.

Local residents hope the clean-up efforts goes beyond just abandoned cars and also focuses on picking up trash in the neighborhood. FOX LA

“There’s a lot, a lot of trash on our streets,” she told Fox11. “I think that’s one of the big ones that needs to be fixed.”

For now, the new billboards will remain posted through the end of the year asking South LA residents to help the city take back its streets, one abandoned jalopy at a time.

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