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Residents press council on parking lot dumping, street takeovers and catalytic‑converter thefts; police outline enforcement limits
Summary
Residents described chronic illegal dumping at a campus parking lot, frequent catalytic-converter thefts and hazardous street takeovers; the police chief said enforcement is active but some crimes happen in minutes and mutual-aid responses have been provided to nearby fires.
Multiple residents used the Jan. 14 public‑comment period to press the City Council of South Gate on parking, dumping and public‑safety concerns; police and staff responded with enforcement context and operational steps.
Homer Lopez told the council the parking lot at Southern and Calden—formerly used by a satellite campus—has become a regular dumping ground and is sometimes used for late‑night car stunts. Councilmember Rios said the city has a lease arrangement with the Department of Water and Power/Metropolitan Water District for that lot, that a safety chain previously was cut, and that the city purchased automatic gates it plans to install this month. Rios said the city will explore surveillance as a deterrent.
Resident Francisco Gallegos described a perceived decline in police presence, repeated thefts of catalytic converters—including his own car being targeted—and a recent street takeover that he said left residents feeling unsafe. In response, the police chief told the council the department issued thousands of parking citations in 2024 and emphasized limits to enforcement: "Literally, it takes less than a minute to steal a catalytic converter," the chief said, urging residents to secure vehicles where possible. The chief described street takeovers as rapid events that disperse before officers can intercept but said the department monitors social media and coordinates with the California Highway Patrol and county partners when patterns can be predicted; South Gate officers also have deployed on mutual-aid requests to Eaton Canyon and Santa Monica during recent fire responses.
Other operational and resident-service items discussed: the city’s bulky-item pickup program through UWS (available once per month, up to 10 items) and a UWS scholarship program for high school students (five $2,000 awards, application deadline Jan. 31). Councilmembers urged residents to use the Go Southgate app to report illegal dumping, potholes and lighting outages.
Ending: Staff and councilmembers committed near-term actions: installing automatic gates at the Southern/Calden lot, inspecting lighting and pothole concerns raised by residents, and continuing mutual-aid partnerships and public education on vehicle security and bulky-item pickup procedures.
