Bill to Empower Local Governments in Removing Dangerous Abandoned Vehicles Advances State Legislature

Sacramento, CA – Yesterday, the State Legislature advanced SB 692 by Senator Jesse Arreguin (D-Oakland), providing local governments with a narrow tool to dismantle abandoned vehicles that cannot be towed.

“Abandoned or inoperable vehicles are a significant issue in our communities due to illegal dumping or after individuals that are experiencing homelessness who've been using them as shelter have moved indoors,” said Senator Arreguin. “SB 692 will give local cities and counties the ability to take necessary action to respond to imminent threats to public health, keeping our streets and public spaces clean and safe for all.”

In recent years, the State of California has successfully helped thousands of people experiencing unsheltered homelessness get off the streets and into stable housing. In 2025, funding from  Homeless Housing, Assistance, and Prevention, Homekey+, and Encampment Resolution Funding helped reduce the state’s unsheltered population by 9% and the biggest drop in homelessness in 15 years. The state’s progress on reducing homelessness comes at a time when nationwide, homelessness is on the rise. One consequence of this progress is that vehicles that had been used for habitation are left behind, oftentimes in conditions that make them impossible to tow and with little recourse available to jurisdictions to remove them.

In January 2026, the City of Berkeley issued a public health alert around a heightened risk of leptospirosis, a rare but potentially fatal bacterial disease spread by rats that had been detected in encampments that contained abandoned or inoperable vehicles. In June, the City announced two people living in a rat-infested RV had contracted the disease, tragically resulting in the death of one person and lengthy hospitalization of the other. This incident underscores the urgent need for local governments to address abandoned vehicles that pose imminent threats to public health.

The bill will allow for local jurisdictions to dismantle a vehicle that has been declared a nuisance or hazard, while providing provisions to protect due process such as notification of abatement to registered owners and interested parties and opportunities for administrative hearings.

SB 692 now heads to the Governor’s Desk, where action must be taken on the bill by September 30.