On Friday, State Senator Steven Choi, Ph.D. (R-Irvine), introduced Senate Bill 897, legislation that would provide the City of Laguna Woods with explicit authority to use long-dormant abandoned vehicle funds to enforce Vehicle Code violations on public streets. The City of Laguna Woods is located within Senate District 37.
SB 897 addresses a unique and longstanding issue facing the City of Laguna Woods. The City received funds from the former Orange County Service Authority for Abandoned Vehicles (OC SAAV), which operated from 1991 to 2012 and collected vehicle registration fees for abandoned vehicle abatement. However, with OC SAAV no longer in operation, and with no abandoned vehicle cases requiring use of those funds for more than 17 years, the City has been left with a perpetual balance it cannot legally deploy under existing law.
“SB 897 is a common-sense fix that allows Laguna Woods to responsibly use funds that have been sitting idle for nearly two decades,” Senator Choi said. “Rather than forcing the City to maintain an unusable account, this bill gives local officials the flexibility to apply these resources toward enforcing Vehicle Code violations and improving safety on public streets, without raising taxes or fees on residents.”
Under current law, Abandoned Vehicle Trust Fund revenues may be used only for the abatement, removal, and disposal of abandoned or inoperative vehicles. SB 897 would expressly authorize the City of Laguna Woods to instead use its existing SAAV fund balance to assist with Vehicle Code enforcement on public roadways. Christopher Macon, City Manager of the City of Laguna Woods, welcomed the introduction of the legislation.
“For years, the City has been required to carry forward funds that no longer serve their original purpose, creating an ongoing accounting burden with no public benefit,” Macon said. “SB 897 gives Laguna Woods the practical authority to redirect these dormant dollars toward enforcing Vehicle Code violations, helping us keep our streets safe while ensuring responsible stewardship of public funds.”
The City of Laguna Woods is the sponsor of SB 897. The measure reflects a targeted, local solution tailored to the City’s unique circumstances and does not affect the use of abandoned vehicle funds in other jurisdictions.