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Phew! Outdoor dining in LA gets another extension
Outdoor dining areas — such as this one at Park's BBQ in Koreatown — can stay for at least another year.
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Courtesy of Parks BBQ
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Topline:
If you're dining outdoors tonight, raise a glass to Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass: She has extended the city's al fresco dining program through 2025.
Why it matters: L.A. may be divided over issues of politics and how best to help the unhoused, but there is one thing we agree on — we love eating at the outdoor restaurants that cropped up in the wake of the pandemic. But there are rules and procedures, and getting all those places permitted so they can go from pop-up to permanent hasn't been easy.
Why now: The deadline for permitting these pop-ups has been extended again and again to give restaurants the time to go through the approval process. That process has still proven time consuming, costly and complicated for some restaurants and many feared they might not make it by Dec. 31, 2024, deadline. This week, Bass extended that deadline through December 2025 to give businesses even more time to get through the fraught process.
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What the mayor said: “Thousands of businesses have been assisted this year building on our momentum to change City Hall into an advocate for businesses — not a barrier," Bass said in a statement. "That’s why we’re extending the Al Fresco Outdoor Dining Program deadline — because we must support businesses and help them thrive."
How to get more info: Here's where to go to get an outdoor dining permit.
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