HomeMy WebLinkAboutMINUTES - 03111986 - X.8 t ,
TO: BOARD OF SUPERVISORS
FROM., Contra
Supervisor Nancy Fanden Costa
DATE: County
March 11, 1986
. : SUBJECTS
Proposed State Legislation on Abandoned Vehicles
SPECIFIC REQUEST(S) OR RECOMMENDATION(S) & BACKGROUND AND JUSTIFICATION
RECOMMENDATION:
That the County Administrator review proposed legislation
dealing with abandoned vehicles and report back to the Board
with a recommendation as to whether we wish to support this
bill.
That a recommendation on how to strengthen our own County
ordinance be presented to the Board within the next two
months.
COMMENTS:
AB2601 by Assemblymember Elihu Harris, Oakland, would
shorten to 10 days the time a "derelict" vehicle valued at
less than $300 would have to be held before it could be
sold or scrapped.
This legislation would eliminate part of the red tape
process in owner notification.
Abandoned vehicles are becoming a statewide problem. Why?
because it' s easier to abandon a vehicle than to update
registration. Outstanding tickets become null and void when
the car is abandoned. This practice has helped create a
statewide crisis.
The present County ordinance covers "junk cars" that are on
private property. Perhaps we need an ordinance similar to
one proposed in San Francisco that would increase the fine
for an abandoned vehicle from $50 to $200 and turn over that
debt to a collection agency - in effect, a civil lawsuit
against the abandoner.
See attached newpaper article
CONTINUED ON ATTACHMENT- YES SIGNATURE:
RECOMMENDATION OF COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR RECOMMENDATION OF BOARD COMMITTEE
APPROVE OTHER
SIGNATURE(S)
ACTION OF BOARD ON - March 11. 1 86 APPROVED AS RECOMMENDED. X OTHER
VOTE OF SUPERVISORS
X -UNANIMOUS (ABSENT III ) I HEREBY CERTIFY THAT THIS IS A TRUE
AYES: NOES: AND CORRECT COPY OF AN ACTION TAKEN
ABSENT: ABSTAIN: AND ENTERED ON THE MINUTES OF THE BOARD
OF SUPERVISORS ON THE DATE SHOWN.
CC: County Adminsitrator ATTESTED i 1986
Phil Batchelor, Clerk of the Board of
Supervisors and-County Administratu
,'EMee2/7•ee BY DEPUTY
D-2 * Sunday,March 9, 1986,
`l i i i-1i13UN E, Oakland, Galiiornw
C9"Fr
lunkn' rrm �'
rib
Towing services can't keep up with all hose abandoned,"ears,;
By Herbert A.Michelson a in early February an East Palo Alto outfit
Mccrarcl:yNews service got the clunker contract with San Francisco. (Bym
( `SAN FRANCISCO — This is supposed to be this time an estimated 1,000 abandoned cars were,"
4 "The City That Knows How."But when it comes to occupying lusted-for parking places in a city
towing cars abandoned here,the city now knows it where its easier to buy a car than park it.)
On Feb. 21; East Palo. Alto City Hail in
may not know how. formed San Francisco City Hall that the East Pala e
Consider: Alto tow firm was operating without proper Ease
a 6,000 cars were abandoned an the streets of Palo Alto permits and that legal,action against then
San Francisco in 1985.
■On a good 1986 day, 30 cars are being firm might be taken.
This past week the suburban tower toldRis
plopped here. That's as many,as 210 cars a week . Newlin that the permit`problem would be re-';
some weeks. solved: But; not immediately, the abandoned car:
■Police department'research indicates that problem. .
people from suburbs throughout the Bay Area are
driving Here to dump the vehicles they no longer `They've started slowly," Newlin said of the,,
love. new firm."They have to learn San Francisca.AndM
Why? Good question. An abandoned car in a there were the rains. We may look for another
big city is not so noticeable, suggests police Lt. towing contractor to use on an interim basis until'14
John Newlin.Also,it tabes authorities here longer we get the junker backlog taken care of." And.it's I
to tow away cars than it does in most suburbsdebatable if the suburban firm can.do'business,
How long?Another good question.Sometimes here at a profit. -4.
as long as six months - although ticketing for Under existing state law, a tow-scrap lot canj
illegal parking accompanied by printed warnings hold a vehicle with a value under$100 for 15 days'
to move the car start after 72 hours., before shredding or peddling it. "Realistically,
Why should the towing process take months? with the paperwork required,it can take as long as"
Because there's been.,a'series'of complications 30 days," says.Newlin.
Involving towing services and storage sites. Moun- What makes it painless to abandon a car any
tains can be moved more easily than abandoned where novo is that once the vehicle is scrapped,the
cars in San.Francisco. : owner doesn't have to worry about paying parking,
Again, consider: ' tickets accrued before the towing.
a In the fall of 1985, the towing-auto disman-
tling company which hauled abandoned cars -� Why?Well,as matters now stand,unpaid traf�4
only firm In San Francisco with a yard fic.warrants must be paid if you wish to re-register'
and the
large enough fi stare all of them s was closed by your car each year.But if you've abandoned it,you
city edict because residents in the area tom- certainly have no intention of updating the regis-Y
plained about having a junkyard in their neighbor- tration: As Newlin puts it, "The.tickets die when.
hood. The firm also had failed to obtain aspecial the car dies."
permit. However, there's legislation in the works'
is Early this year the replacement abandoned which might serve to intimidate the abandoner.
car towing firm dropped its contract. The reason: Molinari on Thursday will propose an ordinance,
The firm said it lost $63,091 .in the three-month which would increase the fine for an abandoned
deal. - vehicle from$50 to$200 and turn over that debt to.
Because most car abandoners don't pay the a collection agency -- in effect, a civil lawsuit;
towing ($33)'or storage ($10 a day) charges; the against the abandoner.
towing contractor had to settle for the scrap reve- I On the state level, state Assemblyman Elihu'
nue. And because towing and shredding is labor- Harris, D-Oakland, has introduced legislation
intensive, points out Ace Smith,aide to Supervisor which would shorten to 10 days the time a "dere-.
John Molinari, the towing,.firm, simply couldn't lict"vehicle valued at less than$300 would have to,
recover its costs. be held before selloff-scrapping. Harris's bill also`
a And so the�city had to look outside for a tow- would eliminate part of the redtape process in,
store-shred spot.That's because an ordinance had owner notification. "This law," said Newlin,
been passed barring new junkyards or expansion "might.put the onus in'the process on the owner'
of old junkyards here. instead of on us and the tower."
a