Towing Issues: Car was towed, san leandro ca, state dmv

Question
A friend gave us an old pick up.  It did not have any plates on it and needed to be registered. Our friend has lost the title so we weren't able to transfer it. We had it parked in front of our house and it was towed.  Do we need to transfer the title and bring the reg current before getting it out?  San Leandro  CA Thank you

Answer
generally you need proof of ownership or right to possession to redeem a vehicle which has been towed...

The fact that you or the party that owned the vehicle lost the title means that you would need to apply for a lost title from the state DMV office...