LACC Swap Meet Sues Los Angeles for $30M Over Vending ‘Chaos’

LOS ANGELES, CA – January 02, 2026 – The long-running LACC Swap Meet has filed a lawsuit against the City of Los Angeles seeking damages exceeding $30 million, alleging that the city’s failure to enforce its own sidewalk vending ordinances has created an environment of “unsafe and unmanageable conditions” that has decimated its business and threatened a vital funding stream for thousands of college students.

The lawsuit, filed in Los Angeles County Superior Court, names the City of Los Angeles as the defendant and centers on the open-air market located at Los Angeles City College (LACC) in Council District 13. The suit contends that inaction by the city, including conduct attributed to Councilmember Hugo Soto-Martinez’s office, allowed a proliferation of unregulated vendors to surround the swap meet, undercutting its lawful businesses and leading to a catastrophic decline in revenue.