politics
LA Mayor orders cops to stop cracking down on illegal street vendors
Bass is facing a tough reelection campaign after fending off a challenge from Spencer Pratt in a jungle primary, now going head-to-head with leftist Councilmember Nithya Raman.
TL;DR
- Mayor Karen Bass ordered the LAPD to stop issuing criminal citations to street vendors and dismiss past incorrect citations.
- There are over 50,000 vendors in LA, but only 687 have active vending permits.
- Bass stated her support for street vendors, linking it to protection against federal immigration actions.
- Brick-and-mortar business owners, like Anthony D'Eugenio, criticized the policy, calling it unfair to licensed vendors.
- Opponent Nithya Raman introduced a plan for an Immigrant Economic Opportunity Hub to support vendors with microloans and licensing.
- Raman's plan also includes creating vendor districts to reduce conflict with brick-and-mortar businesses.
- Bass is in a runoff election against Raman, with the election testing the city's political direction on issues like homelessness and housing costs.
- The mayoral race is technically nonpartisan, and Bass's performance in the primary was under 35% of the vote.