Sacramento spends tens of thousands each month towing homeless vehicles, documents show
Reality Check is a Bee series holding officials and organizations accountable and shining a light on their decisions. Have a tip? Email realitycheck@sacbee.com.
Gov. Gavin Newsom directed state agencies on Thursday to clear homeless encampments, an order given one month after a 6-3 Supreme Court ruling that OKed a law criminalizing homeless people for living in public spaces.
Sacramento already carries out frequent encampment evictions and tows vehicles that homeless people use as shelter. In a document attached to a City Council item Feb. 13, the city said it spent $604,000 on heavy-duty tows by one company in fiscal year 2023. The Sacramento Bee has acquired documents that provide a more detailed snapshot of the price tag.
The Bee filed a Public Records Act request for January towing invoices between Sacramento and Chima’s Tow, a company that contracts with the city to seize vehicles, including those that homeless people use as shelter.
Over just seven days’ worth of invoices, the city was billed $21,050 by Chima’s Tow. The “disposal fee” for 15 vehicles reflected in the documents ranged from $895 to $2,000. Most of the vehicles were RVs or trailers.
A pricing schedule that went before the Sacramento City Council for College Oak Towing Feb. 13 said that trailers up to 41 feet long cost $2,084.25, and motor homes up to 41 feet long $2,215.50. Vehicles larger than 45 feet would be priced case-by-case.
All towed vehicles destroyed
Whether all the vehicles reflected in the invoices were occupied is unclear, but based on other information from the city, it is likely that a majority belonged to people without stable homes — either people who currently or previously lived in these vehicles.
In a City Council agenda item Feb. 13, staff wrote, “There has been an increase in the number of heavy-duty and recreational vehicles and trailers abandoned on City streets. More than 90 percent of these vehicles towed are associated with people experiencing homelessness.”
The city’s data dashboard shows that the week of July 15, the city towed 52 vehicles that belonged to homeless people. The week before, the city towed 65.
The Chima’s invoices show that all the vehicles were estimated to be worth less than $500. They were all destroyed within a month of being towed. Forms for 10 of the vehicles did not indicate that a warning notice had been issued.
Another set of documents shows other expenses related to towing vehicles, including those occupied by homeless people. Code enforcement logs show officers making multiple visits to the vehicles, in addition to the hours contributed by the Sacramento Police Department.
