The towing industry doesn’t seem to really be regulated, mostly because towing regulation is left up to local city governments. This system can allow corruption and illegal activity to flourish. Local Southern California news outlet The San Bernardino Sun reports that one local towing company has been accused of illegally towing vehicles in a predatory manner, primarily targeting Latino drivers and lower-income individuals.
The city of Riverside, which also happens to be the county seat, is taking legal action against Pepe’s Towing, alleging that the company blatantly violated local and state towing laws by towing and impounding vehicles from a local shopping center. What’s worse these tows were performed without the knowledge of the owner or managers of the shopping center; Pepe’s Towing had no contract with the business.
According to the suit, Pepe’s Towing would have spotters position themselves in and around the shopping center to look out for “vulnerable” individuals. The shopping center just happens to be next to a drive-in movie theater that doubles as a swap meet; The parking lot is often used as overflow parking for the swap meet. As a result, between April 2019 and May 2021, 662 vehicles were towed from the shopping center. Pepe’s made over $252,000 in towing fees from these illegal tows.
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