Ending Poverty Tows (AB 516)

Living in California is already expensive enough: for many working families, it’s almost impossible to afford to live here because of astronomically high housing prices and equally expensive childcare and higher education costs. Towing people’s cars only makes it more difficult for families struggling to get by, particularly Black and Brown communities who are overpoliced. But every year in California, local and state governments tow hundreds of thousands of cars for non-safety reasons, pushing families deeper into debt and poverty. Cars are a necessary lifeline to countless Californians who rely on them to drive to work. AB 516 will help working families continue to drive to work, pay their rent and bills, and provide for their families. The bill will end poverty tows for unpaid parking tickets and prevent cars from being towed unless they’re parked in one place for up to 5 business days.

Sponsors: ACLU of California, Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights of the San Francisco Bay Area, Western Center on Law and Poverty.