Oakland tries to penalize people who illegally dump trash on city streets, but fines are rarely paid. A new bill aims to change that.

Last week, State Senator Jesse Arreguín introduced SB 1218, a bill that would require the Department of Motor Vehicles to refuse to renew vehicle registrations for individuals who have outstanding fines for illegal dumping. The DMV already does this with individuals who have unpaid parking tickets and other fines.

“For too long, illegal dumpers have treated fines as optional while our neighborhoods pay the price,” Arreguín said in a press statement. “If you trash our communities, there will be consequences.”

Arreguin’s proposal marks the latest effort by East Bay officials to improve illegal dumping enforcement in Oakland. 

In 2024, KTVU reported that Oakland had issued nearly 3,000 citations for dumping between 2021 and 2024, totaling roughly $1.3 million in fines. But the city only collected about 11% of the total, $109,000. 

Last week, The Oaklandside reported that the city collected money from just 25 of the 270 individuals who were cited for illegal dumping in 2025.

Mayor Barbara Lee has promised to crack down on dumping with stricter enforcement and referring cases to the Alameda County District Attorney. But there haven’t been any referrals. 

“Our neighborhoods deserve better than to be treated as dumping grounds — and for far too long, serial dumpers have faced little to no real deterrence, getting cited, walking away, and leaving our communities to absorb the damage,” Lee said in a statement. “This bill changes that.”

Illegal dumping disproportionately affects deep East Oakland. Of the citations issued in 2025, over one-third were for incidents in District 7. Councilmember Ken Houston, who represents D7, spoke at Wednesday’s press conference, where he decried illegal dumping as “a crime against our community” and that people caught doing it should have their cars towed. 

Alameda County Supervisor Nate Miley was also at Wednesday’s press event. Miley’s office helped create model legislation that proposes stronger enforcement mechanisms against illegal dumping. Oakland Councilmember Zac Unger and other officials, including former Councilmember Rebecca Kaplan, are working on an illegal dumping ordinance to introduce in Oakland.

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