Letters to the Editor: There's nothing racist about Fontana enforcing rules for street vendors

Los Angeles Times Opinion
·2 min read
FONTANA, CA - DECEMBER 15, 2023: Food vendors Angelina Matias and her husband Librado Castillo of Fontana make homemade pupusas at their food stand off Sierra Avenue on December 15, 2023 in Fontana, California. Recently, she had all her food tossed and equipment confiscated by code enforcement. The city of Fontana just passed an ordinance contracting a third-party company for $600,000 to patrol and impound street vendors' equipment that lack the required permit.(Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
Street vendors make homemade pupusas at their food stand in Fontana last December. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
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To the editor: What a way to fan the flames of racism between Black and brown communities. ("Fontana's Black mayor is cracking down on Latino street vendors. Both sides allege racism," Jan. 29)

The print edition headline, "Is it racist for Black mayor to target Latino street vendors?" is quite divisive. Though the article is about Fontana's mayor, my first thought was that it was about our own Los Angeles mayor, Karen Bass. Has The Times stooped to sensationalist headline writing?

The Fontana mayor sounds like she has her issues, but a Black mayor should not be labeled a racist for enforcing the law.

Restaurateurs are sometimes hurt by street vendors who set up nearby, and many of these affected business owners are Latino. So, maybe the title of the article should have been, "Is it elitist to protect Latino business owners?"

Lori Williams, Los Angeles

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To the editor: I owned a small medical transportation business in the Riverside and San Bernardino areas for 25 years until I retired. We were required to have a business license in any city (including Fontana) where we picked up patients.

In many cities we were also required to have vehicle safety checks done on a regular basis, and some cities would not accept the safety check performed by another city.

If the city of Fontana does not require street food vendors to have permits or licenses, it will not be in a position to require such documentation for other businesses of any type. This is not a a race issue.

Paul Salerno, Riverside

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To the editor: My dad had limited education and started his 30-year street vending business in the 1970s.

He had to adhere to licensing rules to be able to sell on the streets. He was fully aware that noncompliance could mean fines and the confiscation of his products. So, he ensured his rolling vending business was licensed — simple.

So no, I do not believe what's happening in Fontana is about race. All people regardless of background must follow the law while running a business.

Don't make this about us-versus-them racism. It's about economic fairness, health and safety.

Joyce Meyers, Culver City

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.