Operators of recreational vehicles who dump human waste on streets, parking lots or campgrounds can be sentenced to up to six months in jail and fined up to $1,000, Los Angeles County officials warned today.
The warning came a week after Venice residents complained that some RV dwellers have been dumping human waste onto local streets. The residents say hundreds of RVs and campers are parked on neighborhood streets, creating a nuisance.
"With more than 20 permitted waste disposal sites located throughout Los Angeles County alone, there is no excuse for this practice,'' said county Public Works Director Gail Farber. "The bacteria from sewage waste can eventually pollute our waters, posing a threat not only to our environment but
also to the health of residents as well as marine life.''
The county has waste disposal sites in Artesia, Bellflower, Carson, Castaic, Cerritos, Gardena, Glendora, Lakewood, Long Beach, Monrovia, Montebello, Newhall, Playa del Rey, Pico Rivera, Pomona, Santa Clarita and West Covina. More information is available at www.CleanLA.com.
Councilman Bill Rosendahl is circulating petitions for Venice residents wanting to ban RVs that are more than seven feet high or 22 feet long from being parked in front of their homes overnight. Two-thirds of the residents on a block must agree to have street signs posted informing RV dwellers of the rule.
Those who want to sign the petition can download it from www.councilmanrosendahl.com.
The California Coastal Commission twice denied the city's attempts to establish resident-only "overnight parking districts'' in Venice. The city council responded by passing an ordinance prohibiting vehicles of a certain size from parking overnight in Venice. Such a law does not require commission approval.