1 TO: City Council
FROM: Andrew Vialpando, City Manager
PREPARED BY: Lina Hernandez, Assistant City Manager
MEETING DATE: February 3, 2026
SUBJECT: Amendment to the Lomita Municipal Code Granting the City Authority to Initiate Vehicle Tows and Establishing Vehicle Removal, Abatement, and Impound Procedures
RECOMMENDED ACTION
Introduce an Ordinance amending the Lomita Municipal Code related to vehicle towing and abatement authority for first reading, waive further reading, and schedule the ordinance for second reading and adoption at a subsequent City Council meeting.
BACKGROUND
The City of Lomita has transitioned to an integrated Community Safety model that includes Community Safety Officers (CSOs) operating in coordination with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department. Under this model, certain parking and vehicle abatement actions may be initiated by the City Manager or their designee, including Community Safety Officers, Parking Enforcement Officers, Code Enforcement Officers, or the County Sheriff, as authorized by the Lomita Municipal Code. This approach is intended to provide consistent, visible, and responsive handling of parked vehicle and nuisance vehicle issues, while maintaining coordination with the Sheriff’s Department for matters outside the scope of City-initiated towing and abatement.
While the Lomita Municipal Code currently authorizes vehicle removal and abatement in various circumstances, several provisions within Title 8 continue to reference enforcement authority exclusively to the Sheriff or do not clearly identify which City personnel may initiate towing or abatement actions. As a result, staff has identified operational ambiguity that can delay enforcement, create uncertainty for residents and towing contractors, and complicate coordination between City staff and the Sheriff’s Department.
The proposed amendments are intended to modernize and clarify existing provisions by
CITY OF LOMITA
CITY COUNCIL REPORT
Item No. 9c
2 expressly authorizing Community Safety Officers, acting as designees of the City Manager, to initiate vehicle removals and abatement actions consistent with state law.
DISCUSSION
The proposed ordinance makes technical and clarifying updates to the Municipal Code related to vehicle towing and abatement. The changes do not create new violations or expand the types of vehicles subject to removal. Instead, the amendments clarify existing authority, clean up outdated language, and align the Code with how towing enforcement is currently handled by the Community Safety Division.
The proposed amendments are intended to improve the City’s ability to respond promptly to vehicle-related safety and quality-of-life concerns while maintaining consistency with state law and existing enforcement practices. Clarifying City authority to initiate vehicle towing and abatement actions allows for faster response times to abandoned and longterm parked vehicles, helps ensure that fire lanes, hydrants, driveways, and emergency access routes remain clear, and allows the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department to remain focused on higher-priority law enforcement and emergency response duties.
Community Safety Officers, Parking Enforcement Officers, and Code Enforcement Officers involved in vehicle abatement and towing activities will receive training on the proper completion of the CHP-180 (Notice of Stored Vehicle), documentation requirements, and coordination with the City’s contracted towing provider. Training will emphasize compliance with applicable provisions of the California Vehicle Code, due process requirements, and internal supervisory review prior to tow authorization.
The proposed amendments apply only to vehicles that are parked and in violation of existing municipal or state parking regulations, including vehicles parked for seventy-two (72) hours or more without lawful movement, vehicles blocking fire lanes, hydrants, or driveways, and vehicles declared abandoned or a public nuisance pursuant to existing code provisions. The amendments do not change responsibility for vehicles involved in traffic collisions, disabled vehicles resulting from accidents, or vehicles associated with criminal investigations, which will continue to be handled by the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.
Prior to towing, vehicles are subject to established notice, documentation, and verification procedures consistent with the Lomita Municipal Code and California Vehicle Code. The general process includes observation and documentation of the violation, issuance of required warnings or notices when applicable, verification that statutory time thresholds or violation conditions have been met, supervisory confirmation, and initiation of towing by a City-authorized officer or the Sheriff, as appropriate. All vehicle removals remain subject to due process protections, including notice, the opportunity for an administrative hearing, and appeal rights.
No additional agreement is required as part of the proposed amendments. The City does 3 not rely on the Sheriff’s Department’s towing contracts for vehicle abatement activities addressed in this ordinance. Towing under the proposed authority will continue to occur in accordance with existing City arrangements and applicable state law, and the amendments do not create or require a new towing contract or interagency agreement.
Several sections of Title 8 are amended to clarify that Community Safety Officers, acting as designees of the City Manager, are authorized to initiate vehicle towing and abatement actions. Existing LMC language references enforcement by the Sheriff and does not clearly identify City staff who may initiate these actions. The proposed amendments resolve this ambiguity and provide clear direction for staff, residents, and contracted towing providers.
The ordinance also adds a new Chapter 8-2.5 to consolidate vehicle towing and abatement procedures that are currently spread across multiple code sections. The new chapter establishes clear and consistent standards related to authorized personnel, lawful inspection and entry for vehicle abatement, City-initiated towing requirements for contracted tow operators, 72-hour vehicle removal criteria, abatement of abandoned or inoperative vehicles visible from the public right-of-way, and notice, hearing, appeal, cost recovery, and vehicle release procedures. Placing these provisions into a single chapter improves clarity, reduces confusion, and makes the Municipal Code easier for both staff and the public to follow.
Finally, the ordinance clarifies that vehicles towed under City authority may only be released once a Community Safety Officer verifies that the underlying violation has been corrected or otherwise lawfully resolved, ensuring consistent enforcement and preservation of due-process protections.
FISCAL IMPACT
There are no financial implications resulting from this recommendation.
VISION, MISSION, VALUES, AND STRATEGIC OUTCOMES
The City’s Vision, Mission, and Values set the standard for the organization, establish priorities, uniformity and guidelines; and provide the framework for policy decision making. The Strategic Outcomes were implemented to provide a pathway to achieving the City’s Vision. This item aligns with Strategic Outcome No. 1: Safety & Security - Keeping Lomita safe, prepared and resilient.
OPTIONS
1. Approve the attached ordinance.
2. Do not approve the ordinance.
4 ATTACHMENTS
1. Ordinance
2. Exhibit A – Proposed Lomita Municipal Code Amendments (Redline indicate deleted language and proposed additions)
Reviewed by: Approved by:
_______________________ ______________________
Lina Hernandez Andrew Vialpando
Assistant City Manager City Manager