Gov. Jerry Brown on June 28 signed AB 332 into law, which will allow municipalities to pass ordinances to close streets and roads where excessive illegal dumping occurs.

The law, authored by Assemblyman Raul Bocanegra (D-Pacoima), cracks down on illegal dumping on city streets.

“Streets across the city are being flooded with mattresses, furniture and many other discarded items,” Bocanegra said. “Illegal dumping is negatively affecting the quality of life in many of my communities and starting next year, cities will have a new tool to combat this activity.”

Illegal dumping has plagued parts of Los Angeles where traffic is minimal and the odds of being caught are low. As a result, unsightly piles of garbage accumulate, leaving it up to property owners or municipalities to clean up at their own expense.

“I applaud Gov. Brown for signing Assembly member Bocanegra’s AB 332,” said Los Angeles City Councilwoman Nury Martinez, 6th District.

“For too long, the roads in my district have been magnets for illegal dumping operations, and now we’ll have the authority to close the streets and clean up our neighborhoods. This new law will give us the authority to shut down the practice of dumping trash along our streets. This is a big win for our constituents.”

In many cases, illegal dumping occurs near landfills or waste disposal facilities because people can’t or don’t want to pay the extra disposal fee for furniture or larger items. Consequently, they drive farther down the road and leave the items beside the street instead of properly disposing of them, Bocanegra said.

“Residents in my district are tired of having their streets being used as landfills,” Bocanegra added. “The dumped property is not only an eye sore, but also a public safety hazard.”

AB 332 will take effect on Jan. 1, 2018.