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Downey council unanimously approves three-year towing franchise with C's Towing
Summary
The council adopted Resolution No. 26-8337 to grant a three-year, nonexclusive towing and storage franchise to C's Towing, requiring 24/7 service, a 20-minute response standard, and secured indoor evidence storage; staff said the franchise fee is cost recovery, not revenue.
Downey’s City Council on Feb. 24 voted unanimously to adopt Resolution No. 26-8337 approving a three‑year franchise agreement with C's Towing for city towing and vehicle storage services.
Chief Lochner, presenting the staff report, said the contract was brought under the Downey City Charter requirement for a public hearing. He described key operational requirements: the vendor must be open 24/7, meet a 20‑minute response time for police‑initiated tows, and have secured indoor capacity to hold at least 100 vehicles for evidentiary purposes. "They are required to be there within 20 minutes," Lochner said, and the city stressed the importance of indoor storage for long‑term evidentiary holds.
Lochner told council the RFP process was posted for 30 days; three companies initially met minimum requirements but two were later removed because of facility limitations or loss of lease. C's Towing met the RFP requirements and began providing interim service for Downey on Oct. 15 when the previous vendor could not continue, staff said. Chief Lochner said staff contacted neighboring agencies that use C's Towing and received favorable references.
On fees, staff said the franchise fee is intended to recover the city’s administrative costs for police‑initiated tows, not to generate revenue. Under the agreement the city will receive 20% of revenues generated from tows initiated by the city. Chief Lochner characterized the fee as a cost‑recovery measure: "The franchise fee is a cost recovery tool, not a revenue generator." He also cited standard tow storage rates that follow the California Highway Patrol schedule (presented in the meeting as $275 for the initial short storage period, then $79 per additional day).
No members of the public spoke on the item. Council moved to close the public hearing and then adopted Resolution No. 26-8337; the motion to adopt passed unanimously.
The contract is nonexclusive, meaning the city may consider other providers in the future. Council did not set any additional conditions in the meeting beyond the RFP requirements staff discussed. The city will rely on vendor compliance with the contract’s response‑time and facility standards and on complaints or disciplinary processes if performance issues arise.
