A Los Angeles elected official blamed Toyota for the increase in catalytic converter thefts in the area during a recent town hall meeting.
After the Los Angeles City Council made it illegal to own a detached catalytic converter without verification of legal possession in an 8–4 vote on April 11 to deter thieves, Los Angeles Councilwoman Nithya Raman—one of the opposing votes—said during a town hall that Toyota is largely responsible for the thefts of converters from Priuses, which are the most common vehicles targeted by thieves in the area.
“One of the things that infuriate me is we have a company, Toyota, who makes the Prius, which essentially has a device on their cars that is super easy to remove,” Raman said. “It’s basically the value of a Macbook.”…