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Olvera Street’s legacy donkey stand, La Carreta, to be evicted
La Carreta at Olvera Street.
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Caitlin Hernández
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LAist
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Topline:
The future of Olvera Stree’s donkey attraction, known as La Caretta, has been decided. The El Pueblo board of commissioners voted Thursday to move forward with evicting the family-run stand that’s been there for 57 years.
What was the issue? After the primary owner of the stand died in April, the family was left with a legal problem. Richard Hernandez has run the stand for years, but it was his mother’s name on the contract — not his. Her death prompted Olvera Street management to start an eviction process. The family has drummed up public support for months in a fight to save their spot.
Why this decision? According to general manager Arturo Chavez at the meeting, the family didn’t follow up on the mother’s notarized paperwork that she submitted in 2019 to add her son, after the pandemic when Olvera Street reopened. As such, Chavez and the city attorney determined that the city had no legal obligation to amend the lease. Now that the lease has expired, the commission concluded they had no legal alternative to eviction under the city charter.
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What’s next? The vote kickstarts a 30-day notice to quit process. The family’s attorney, Daniel Bramzón, said the commission was misinformed about their options. They plan to fight the eviction in court.
Go deeper… to learn more about why La Carreta was so loved.
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