California DMV ripped me out of my parts.

Forrest said
Something else is going on here. You don’t need a license to dismantle a vehicle, but...you need the title to be in your name, the plates, and all DMV fees up to date and paid. As for selling the parts, that’s a whole other story, seller’s permit, maybe a business license, and whatever else the State AND County or City requires. Maybe he was dismantling a lot of vehicles, business style. Code Enforcement is on a terror in Southern California. They’re going deep into the codes and writing people up, left and right, for all sorts of things. It’s all about the $’s.

Totally agree, something else is going on here. If anyone bothered to look, here’s a relevant exception from having a dismantlers license

Straight from the DMV-

Automobile Dismantler Exclusions
The term "automobile dismantler" does not include any of the following:

Any person engaged in the restoration of vehicles of the type described in Vehicle Code Section 5004 or in the restoration of other vehicles having historic or classic significance.

There’s a bunch of exceptions, that’s just the most relevant. My guess is his buddy pissed somebody off and got reported. Maybe his neighbor knows a city official, law enforcement, etc.

It’s true, the law regarding vehicle dismantling has been tightened recently. But classics were exempted, like they usually are here in California. Of course that won’t stop a bunch of people that don’t live here, don’t know the actual laws, and don’t have the whole story from talking crap about something they don’t understand.