Karen Bass Eases Los Angeles Street-Vendor Crackdown as November Re-election Race Heats Up
Updated
Updated · The New York Times · Aug 28
Karen Bass Eases Los Angeles Street-Vendor Crackdown as November Re-election Race Heats Up
1 articles · Updated · The New York Times · Aug 28
Summary
Karen Bass backed off Los Angeles's street-vendor crackdown after a debate remark comparing vendors near restaurants to homeless encampments triggered a political backlash.
During last week's clash with challenger Nithya Raman, Bass said food vendors should not operate in front of restaurants and should instead be limited to certain areas before eventually moving into brick-and-mortar spaces.
Vendors and organizers said the comparison was insulting and out of touch, arguing it conflated working families with homelessness and attacked a defining part of Los Angeles food culture.
The dispute has become a flashpoint in Bass's November re-election campaign, giving Raman and progressive critics a new line of attack over the mayor's approach to public space and small informal businesses.