Olvera Street Upgrade

Because Olvera Street in Los Angeles is the birthplace of the state’s biggest city, people care about preserving it. Recently the parties most directly involved negotiated a tenuous compromise that could start the process of preservation--if the agreement doesn’t break down first.

Under the compromise, city officials would grant Olvera Street’s 77 small businesses the right to purchase up to 50% interest in any private project to rehabilitate the area. The merchants, some of whose families have been on the street since it was made into a tourist attraction in 1929, have been fearful that development could result in their replacement by an “overly commercialized Mexican Disneyland.”

City Councilman Richard Alatorre played a pivotal role in the compromise. Most of the property around Olvera Street is controlled by the city, and Alatorre represents the area. In the debate over Olvera Street’s future, Alatorre has been critical of some of the demands made by the merchants. Many of the merchants, in turn, are suspicious of Alatorre. The potential problems that could scuttle the compromise stem from that estrangement. Some merchants want to control the entire Olvera Street development project,while Alatorre insists they should be content with 50%. The councilman also questions whether they can legally bid for full control of the project under the terms of the agreement.

The city attorney’s office studied Alatorre’s question, and concluded that there is no legal reason to bar the merchants from bidding for the entire project. But Alatorre has raised a valid point, nonetheless.

Even if the merchants can come up with the financial and technical wherewithal to oversee the Plaza’s development--a big assumption--fairness dictates that the project be open to bid by all interested parties. If the merchants have the best bid, fine. If not, they must be willing take “no” for an answer. After all, with an offer of 50% control, they would have more say on the Plaza’s future than they had when the negotiating began.

More compromises are going to be necessary before Olvera Street is spruced up. For example, preservationists insist that special care is needed if the old buildings there are to be refurbished with historic accuracy. Their concerns must also be taken into account. They will be if everyone who cares about Olvera Street is willing to compromise even further.