URGENT UPDATE: Lincoln Heights residents are facing a growing crisis as abandoned RVs overrun Humboldt Street, causing severe sanitation issues, crime, and fear among local businesses. Frustrated community members are demanding immediate action from city leaders as the situation escalates.
The streets are lined with RVs that leak sewage and attract crime, impacting businesses and residents alike. Local business owner Stacy Vierheilig has installed security cameras and fortified her property due to rampant theft and vandalism. “This is not OK,” she stated, emphasizing the urgent need for help as her building, filled with toys for underprivileged children, is now surrounded by crime.
Just last week, cameras captured an intruder stealing copper wire from Vierheilig’s air conditioning unit, highlighting the dangers posed by these encampments. “We need help,” she pleaded, as other businesses on Humboldt Street also suffer from theft and vandalism.
Gabriel Perez, who runs a thrift store adjacent to Vierheilig’s building, echoed her concerns, revealing that break-ins occur almost nightly. “We are taking away from our mission to serve those in need,” he lamented, as his customers are forced to navigate dangerous conditions on the street. With RVs blocking sidewalks, pedestrians are often left no choice but to walk in the middle of the road.
Local Councilmember Eunisses Hernandez acknowledged the issue, stating it is a top priority for her office. However, she recently voted against a new state law that would allow the city to remove more RVs, raising concerns about the effectiveness of such measures. The current law permits the removal of RVs valued at $500 or less, while the proposed law would raise that threshold to $4,000. “I just didn’t want to give constituents the false hope that this is going to be the game changer around RVs in our city,” she explained.
Hernandez is focusing on securing funding for more homeless shelter beds as a potential solution, but there is no clear timeline for when the RVs will be removed from the area. “We are exploring other places where we can have RVs that are not impacting the community,” she added.
In response to the ongoing crisis, Vierheilig has recently installed a new iron fence around her property, mirroring the actions of others in the area who are fortifying their buildings against crime. Although Hernandez’s vote against the resolution still allowed it to pass, the city is currently determining how to implement the new law, which will take effect in 2024.
The office of Mayor Karen Bass expressed optimism about the new law, calling it a “vital tool to address RV encampments across Los Angeles.” In a statement, the mayor’s office emphasized, “This effort demonstrates Mayor Bass’ work to break with the status quo that allowed the homelessness crisis to worsen over decades.”
As the situation on Humboldt Street continues to deteriorate, residents and business owners remain vigilant, calling for immediate intervention from city officials to restore safety and order to their neighborhood. What happens next will be critical for the ongoing struggle against the RV crisis in Lincoln Heights.
