Truth matters. Community matters. Your support makes both possible. LAist is one of the few places where news remains independent and free from political and corporate influence. Stand up for truth and for LAist. Make your year-end tax-deductible gift now.
LA City Council To Consider Rent Relief For Olvera Street Businesses
Shuttered businesses on Olvera Street at the start of the pandemic. (Chava Sanchez/LAist)
The L.A. City Council's budget committee today agreed to a plan that would forgive six months of rent for businesses along downtown’s historic Olvera Street. The full council will still have to approve the measure.
A move to forgive rent from July through December would be welcome news for the 60 or so businesses that call the historic monument home. They pay rent to the city, and while they can delay payments during the pandemic, they currently are expected to pay up at some point.
Gregory Berber owns La Luz del Dia restaurant, which he says pays about $13,000 a month in rent. Berber told us his family has been selling food on Olvera Street for close to a century. Since the pandemic hit, he said, business has been down 90%.
“It’s sad. If you come down here, what you see most people doing is taking pictures of an empty street," Berber said. "If Olvera Street doesn’t have foot traffic, none of these businesses will be able to survive.”
He and other Olvera Street business owners said without support from the city, they may have to permanently close.
Our news is free on LAist. To make sure you get our coverage: Sign up for our daily coronavirus newsletter. To support our nonprofit public service journalism: Donate now.
You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our connected community. We are free to tell the full truth, to hold power to account without fear or favor, and to follow facts wherever they lead. Our only loyalty is to our audiences and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen our community.
Right now, LAist has lost $1.7M in annual funding due to Congress clawing back money already approved. The support we receive before year-end will determine how fully our newsroom can continue informing, serving, and strengthening Southern California.
If this story helped you today, please become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.
Your tax-deductible donation keeps LAist independent and accessible to everyone.
Right now, LAist has lost $1.7M in annual funding due to Congress clawing back money already approved. The support we receive before year-end will determine how fully our newsroom can continue informing, serving, and strengthening Southern California.
If this story helped you today, please become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.
Your tax-deductible donation keeps LAist independent and accessible to everyone.
Senior Vice President News, Editor in Chief
