After years of looking out their front doors at a line of rundown trailers and RVs, Pacoima business owners finally saw a stretch of Montague Street cleared this week. Merchants say the clutter of vehicles has chased off customers and brought trash, sewage, and nonstop barking dogs to their doorsteps. The big difference now, they argue, came when television cameras showed up, and the city suddenly moved in. Even so, neighbors point out that while this block looks better, dozens of dilapidated trailers are still scattered across nearby streets.
Business owners say TV spotlight forced the issue
Several merchants who reached out to ABC7 and its 7 On Your Side team say the station deserves credit for what they see as overdue action. As captured by the outlet, shop owner Israel Gamburd greeted reporter Kevin with, "Oh my god, Kevin, thank you so much," while fellow merchant Andres Rauda said he is convinced the cleanup happened "100% because of Channel 7." The station’s visit was quickly followed by city crews pushing trailers off the block and power-washing and sanitizing the sidewalks in front of local businesses.
Councilmember touts RV-to-Home progress
Councilmember Monica Rodriguez told ABC7 that the operation on Montague Street was part of her RV-to-Home program, a coordinated effort involving multiple city departments and service providers such as West Valley Homes. In her statement to the station, Rodriguez said the latest sweep on the block "removed an additional five trailers and three RVs." According to figures her office provided to reporters, the broader program has housed 373 people and taken 172 vehicles off Los Angeles streets to date.
Rodriguez’s district website also outlines ongoing RV outreach, safe-parking efforts, and removal operations in Pacoima, including continued work along industrial corridors and residential blocks where oversized vehicles have clustered for years (CD7).
Policy backdrop: courts, beds, and encampment rules
The Montague Street cleanup is playing out against a tense citywide backdrop. Los Angeles officials are trying to balance court-ordered housing obligations, neighborhood safety complaints, and the slow grind of homeless outreach. The Los Angeles Times recently reported that the City Council agreed to extend its commitments for homeless beds and to focus more aggressively on getting people indoors, a move aimed at avoiding a potential contempt ruling from a federal judge. That legal pressure influences when and how encampments and long-running RV clusters can be cleared.
Council offices say outreach teams remain on the ground during operations like the one on Montague, offering services and housing referrals to people displaced by vehicle removals. Business owners, though, say they are watching closely to see whether those promises translate into lasting change on their blocks or just a brief cleanup before the problems return.
For now, the transformation is partial at best. Even after the sidewalks in front of the shops were scrubbed, rundown RVs and trailers still crowd surrounding streets, and a recent warehouse fire on Montague has only heightened local anxiety about safety and industrial blight. That blaze, which tore through a building along the same strip, has become a vivid reference point for neighbors worried about what might happen if the area is allowed to slide back again (Pacoima warehouse blaze).
Merchants say they will keep pressing city leaders for sustained outreach and permanent housing options, not just sporadic sweeps and one-time cleanups timed to TV coverage.
