Outdoor Vendors Banned From Market
A Los Angeles Superior Court judge issued a preliminary injunction Thursday prohibiting makeshift stands and the sale of merchandise in the parking lot outside El Mercado, a bustling Boyle Heights market on First Street.
Judge Robert H. O’Brien’s order also prohibits El Mercado owner Pedro Rosado from collecting rent from vendors selling their wares in violation of city zoning ordinances.
The city earlier denied Rosado a variance that would have allowed outdoor vendors to keep selling. Rosado could not be reached for comment.
The injunction came after a lawsuit filed this month by the county and local residents against Rosado and the city, claiming the city has done little to enforce its codes.
At least seven residents, including some who live in unincorporated county territory, are listed as plaintiffs. They claim the vendors are a public nuisance who have left garbage strewn around the neighborhood.
An assistant city attorney said some of the outside vendors had been cited and that the city was properly enforcing the law.
The suit is seeking unspecified damages and an order directing the city to enforce zoning laws at the market. A trial has been scheduled for September.
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