Moreno Valley council orders tow program overhaul after public outcry over private-property towing

After prolonged public comment and council discussion on April 7, Moreno Valley’s City Council voted to reject all current proposals for the city’s rotational tow program and directed staff to revise the ordinance and prepare a new request for proposals.

Council members and dozens of public speakers criticized private-property towing practices and named specific tow operators that residents say have towed vehicles without adequate notice. Several speakers argued that allowing tow yards outside the city or permitting out-of-jurisdiction drops imposes steep hardship on residents who must travel to retrieve their cars.

Council Member Delgado said the program needed new safeguards and a clearer set of criteria for awarding rotational privileges. “We hear story after story of predatory practices,” she said during deliberations, and moved to reject the current recommendations and require a revised process that could consider additional operators, complaint thresholds and consumer-protection provisions.

The council accepted the city attorney’s recommendation to reject the proposals, instruct staff to draft ordinance revisions and reissue an RFP; staff said current tow operators would be maintained on a month-to-month basis while the rebid process proceeds.

Next steps: staff will return with a proposed ordinance and updated RFP language, including possible new vendor qualifications, complaint-based decertification rules and consumer-protection conditions. Public commenters asked the city to prioritize local tow yards, lower out-of-jurisdiction retrieval costs, and add enforcement or mediation steps for apartment-complex incidents.