Oakland, California, has an deserted automotive drawback. Over six months in 2023, individuals reported practically 14,000 deserted vehicles to town, and the state of affairs has worsened in 2024. The metropolis is working out of house to retailer the automobiles, resorting to stacking them on high of one another in some cases, and residents are fed up and annoyed with all of the vehicles.

The automobiles litter town’s streets, blocking entry to houses, companies, and even colleges whereas chewing up beneficial parking house. ABC 7 News Bay Area went on a ride-along with Oakland council member Noel Gallo, uncovering practically 50 deserted vehicles in about half-hour, all in numerous states of disrepair. Many had been stolen and stripped for elements, whereas others had been victims of smash-and-grab operations.

According to ABC 7’s report, the Oakland Police Department will solely reply if a car is obstructing entry to a house. The Oakland Department of Transportation handles all the opposite deserted automobiles, and it might probably take time to take away a automotive.

The metropolis has so many abandoned cars that it pays practically $1 million yearly in storage prices, with one lot containing for than 2,000 automobiles. However, reduction may quickly be coming as metropolis council members voted for elevated funding to resolve the difficulty, hiring a number of tow firms whereas using parking tons from the California Department of Transportation. The metropolis can be hiring 15 extra parking management technicians who will hit the streets this yr.