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Booth LicenseLACC Swap Meet Faces Crisis
Feb
as Councilmember Hugo Soto-Martinez Fails to Enforce Laws, Threatening Vendors, Students & Community
While our efforts have been praised by many for bringing order to a previously chaotic situation, they have come at great financial cost and undue media scrutiny—all while the City of Los Angeles fails to uphold its own laws.
Illegal Street Vendors Operating in Violation of State Law
Illegal street vendors have flooded the surrounding streets—Monroe, Marathon, and Madison—violating State Ordinances that prohibit vending within 500 feet of a swap meet, flea market, or farmers market. Despite this clear legal violation, Councilmember Hugo Soto-Martinez has refused to enforce the law, instead advocating for illegal vendors and making false and defamatory claims against me in the process.
The Councilmember’s Lies and Media’s Failure
Soto-Martinez has accused me of hiring a “fake” LAFD inspector, illegally placing No Parking signs, and harassing vendors—all blatant lies that he has refused to back up with evidence. When I publicly called him out on Telemundo, he told the reporter he would meet with me, yet he has ignored all of my emails and phone calls.
The media has also failed us, particularly LA Taco, which has falsely claimed that I turned on sprinklers to deter vendors (even though the sprinklers were vandalized a year before we took over), that I forced vendors onto the street, and that I have been involved in acts of violence or discrimination—all lies. I have repeatedly asked LA Taco to provide proof, and they have ignored me.
The City’s Inaction is Hurting the Community
The City of Los Angeles has an obligation to uphold the law but has failed. The LAPD and LAFD have had their hands tied because Soto-Martinez has ordered them and the Bureau of Street Services to do nothing.
The Department of Transportation has even rejected our applications for temporary No Parking permits—permits that were requested by LAFD Inspector Wilcher to create safe loading zones for the Swap Meet. Instead, illegal vendors park their vehicles from Friday through Sunday, blocking access to residents and using the streets as their unregulated storefronts.
The Cost of Inaction: Crime, Financial Losses, and Displacement
The consequences of the City’s failure to act are severe:
• Crime and vandalism are on the rise.
• Vendor sales are down 40-60%, yet they remain loyal to the Swap Meet.
• Revenue generated for the LACC Foundation is down 40%, putting over $500,000 in annual funding for 17,000 students at risk.
• Over 500 vendors who legally operate at the Swap Meet risk losing their businesses.
• Illegal street vendors face no regulations, pay no rent, insurance, taxes, or permits, and leave behind trash and safety hazards.
We Are Not Anti-Street Vendors—We Are Pro-Fairness
Let me be clear: We are not anti-street vendor. We support everyone’s right to make a living, but it must be done ethically and legally. If the LACC Swap Meet is forced to close due to lack of enforcement, the LACC Foundation will lose critical funding, 500+ legal vendors will be displaced, and even the illegal street vendors will suffer, as they benefit from the thousands of customers drawn to the Swap Meet.
Our Demand: Enforce the 500-Foot Ordinance
The solution is simple: Enforce the 500-foot ordinance and relocate the illegal vendors off Monroe, Marathon, and Madison.
We call on the City of Los Angeles, LAPD, LAFD, and Department of Transportation to do their jobs and enforce the law. We also demand that Councilmember Hugo Soto-Martinez stop spreading false information and meet publicly to address the real issues affecting this community.
The LACC Swap Meet has been a pillar of this city for generations. We are fighting to keep it that way.
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