WESTLAKE VILLAGE : Mobile Car Washers May Be Regulated
A new breed of entrepreneurs--car washers who operate from the backs of pickup trucks or in parking lots--is coming under scrutiny by the Westlake Village City Council.
The unlicensed mobile washers may be regulated or even banned, partly due to complaints by the owners of fixed-location car washes and partly because of safety concerns, said Westlake Village City Manager Ray Taylor.
“Some of them are sophisticated with sprayers and generators mounted on their pickups, and some of them are more simplistic--using buckets of water in a parking lot,” Taylor said. “The council hasn’t made up its mind what to do about them yet because they really just started cropping up.”
More than half a dozen, apparently full-time mobile car washers have been spotted in the Westlake Village area in recent months, causing concerns over water runoff and the city’s liability in case of an accident, as well as bringing a general outcry by local carwash firms, Taylor said.
Several of the roving washers showed up at the council’s Wednesday night study session to appeal for lenient treatment, Taylor said. The regulations would not affect carwashes done for charity, he said.
The council is scheduled to make a decision on the matter late next month or in June. The city of Thousand Oaks reportedly is considering similar regulations.
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