Reclaiming the Simple Delights of Olvera Street

One of my bosses rolls his eyes whenever the subject of L.A.’s taxicabs came up. Having once covered the complex and sometimes chaotic world of the cabbies, he doesn’t envy reporters who have to write about it. “Every time I hear the word taxi, “ he once told me, “my brain turns to spaghetti.”

I’m beginning to feel the same way about Olvera Street.

The urge for some Parmesan cheese set in with the news that Los Angeles City Controller Rick Tuttle had issued an audit of El Pueblo de Los Angeles Historic Park, where Olvera Street is located, that found numerous weaknesses in the way business is done there. Among other things, the audit described as woeful the efforts to promote Olvera Street by, for example, restoring a controversial Siqueiros mural washed over in the 1930s.

It also found that most of the financial safeguards recommended in an audit back in 1988 haven’t been implemented yet.

Although there was no evidence of any financial wrongdoing, the audit was another reminder that Olvera Street is a pain in the you-know-where.

*

The Olvera Street I know as a reporter is a far cry from the place I looked forward to visiting as a kid. We used to end trips to Downtown with some taquitos from a corner stand on the street, which, when it started as a tourist attraction in 1929, was a back alley. The taquitos were great, though I never praised them too much in front of my mother.

These days, I look for the aspirin, not the food, because the arguments around Olvera Street overload the brain.

The first big fight I covered as a reporter came in the years before the city took over sole possession of El Pueblo park in 1990. The dispute centered on how best to modernize Olvera Street, which needs earthquake-related work for its aging buildings and adequate parking for visitors.

Merchants, who were supporters of then-City Councilwoman Gloria Molina, charged that Councilman Richard Alatorre, whose district includes Olvera Street, might give the revitalization project to the East Los Angeles Community Union, whose leaders are friendly with Alatorre. Molina friend and restaurateur Vivien Bonzo alleged that TELACU would turn Olvera Street into a “Mexican Disneyland.”

Alatorre denied that and while officials at the Eastside developer hinted they might consider such a project, they never submitted a proposal for the job.

TELACU is now off doing other work and the Olvera Street project isn’t close to beginning. Nevertheless, the dispute convinced some merchants that Alatorre wasn’t a friend, regardless of the lavish praise he has heaped on them over the years.

There have been other squabbles.

The city considered getting more rent from the merchants, noting that it was city policy to require competitive bidding for people who do business on city land. The folks on Olvera Street howled, saying many of them were direct descendants of its founders and that they should be exempted since they worked hard at preserving it as a city institution.

The voters agreed with them in 1992 and approved a charter amendment that exempted Olvera Street merchants from the competitive bidding process.

The merchants, however, continued to battle City Hall. They squabbled over how best to attract visitors, contending that Recreation and Parks commissioners were unsympathetic to them. They argued about security arrangements. They argued with the managers picked by Recreation and Parks officials to oversee day-to-day activities.

The in-fighting has reached ridiculous levels. Molina supporters, for example, refuse to patronize Olvera Street eateries operated by Alatorre allies. To do so just ain’t right, they sniff.

I felt relieved when the merchants agreed to a plan to create a seven-member authority to oversee El Pueblo park, taking away jurisdiction from Recreation and Parks. That was approved in 1992, but there’s a hitch.

Former Mayor Tom Bradley didn’t appoint anyone before leaving office and, so far, Mayor Richard Riordan hasn’t appointed anyone either.

That has led to more uncertainty and bickering.

*

Tuttle, in issuing his critical audit, lent credence to the widespread perception that many problems at Olvera Street stem from lack of good city management. He says Riordan can start shaping up the place by quickly announcing his appointments to the authority.

“It’s time to kick-start this thing,” Tuttle said.

Amen! Then, perhaps we can get back to the street’s simple delights--like the taquitos.