Its surprising to see Villaraigosa behind this. If the fees weren't so outrageous it might be a reasonable thing. But its very unfair since the rates can easily run up to $1,000 per car.
More importantly, the whole thing sounds ridiculous - denying undocumented immigrants drivers licenses is not logical, since the U.S. needs the labor so badly. How are people supposed to get to work?
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LAPD may resume impounding cars of unlicensed drivers
Chief Bratton says he will ask the Police Commission to end the department's moratorium on the practice, which is opposed by immigrant rights groups.
Duke Helfand and Richard Winton
Los Angeles Times
September 8, 2007
Los Angeles Police Chief William J. Bratton was gearing up Friday to lift the Police Department's self-imposed moratorium on impounding cars of unlicensed drivers -- a contentious issue for advocates on both sides of the illegal immigration debate.
Bratton said he would recommend that the Police Commission reverse a 2-week-old decision limiting the ability of officers to impound vehicles for 30 days, as state law allows.
Several commissioners said they had questions about the moratorium and the towing policy itself, which is the subject of a lawsuit in federal court challenging its constitutionality.
Bratton said he agreed to the moratorium while awaiting a legal opinion from City Atty. Rocky Delgadillo's office in light of a 2005 federal court decision on vehicle impounds in Oregon.
The chief said Delgadillo's opinion, released Thursday, convinced him that the city's impound policy -- and the state law on which it is based -- are defensible.
"I anticipate that we'll be going back to what we were doing," Bratton said. "Impoundments are necessary. It's the law in the state of California."
Bratton has a strong advocate in his corner -- Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, who favors a return to the original towing policy and appoints police commissioners.
"The mayor supports the Police Department's right and responsibility to enforce the law against unlicensed and uninsured drivers," spokesman Matt Szabo said. "He's comfortable with the law as it stands."
The impound policy has long been a hot-button issue because many unlicensed drivers whose cars are towed are illegal immigrants who cannot get driver's licenses, officials said.
Immigrant rights groups and some legislators for years have sought legislation granting illegal immigrants some form of driver's licenses, but the bills have been repeatedly rejected, most recently by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger...
For complete article: http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-impound8sep08,1,4126552.story
Photo: BBC http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/images/40034000/jpg/_40034997_impounded203.jpg
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