Recent Streetsblog LA posts about vendors

The Rail-to-(Almost)-River Project Gets Boost with $15mil TIGER Grant

By Sahra Sulaiman | Oct 30, 2015 | 27 Comments

“[Let’s give] a big round of applause for Victor Mendez. He brought money,” quipped County Supervisor and Metro Board Chair Mark Ridley-Thomas. Turning to Deputy Secretary of Transportation Mendez, he continued, “Come back soon and come back often!” Preferably with another $15 million grant in hand, he joked. He might have been referring to the […]

Metro Diary: Every Day He’s Hustlin’

By Sahra Sulaiman | Feb 19, 2014 | 7 Comments

The well-dressed and good-looking young man with enormous glasses walked toward where I was standing at the front of the packed Blue Line car, gave me a wink and a smile, then turned around and began delivering his sales pitch for headphones to the passengers. Watching him work the car, I was reminded of how […]

Dear Santa, Please Bring Us an Active Transportation Corridor Along Slauson. But Don’t Forget the Community in the Process.

By Sahra Sulaiman | Dec 17, 2013 | 22 Comments

Flanked by industry or warehouses on either side for much of its trajectory, and running parallel to defunct and unkempt railroad tracks that are liberally adorned with debris, graffiti, and enormous mud puddles when it rains, the Slauson Avenue corridor doesn’t seem like the most human-friendly place. And, if you’ve ever felt reckless enough to […]

Observations from Yesterday’s Gun Buyback and a Conversation with a Street Vendor of Bikes

By Sahra Sulaiman | May 14, 2012 | No Comments

THIS PAST FINE AND SUNNY Saturday, I headed to South L.A. to see how the Anonymous Gun Buyback was going. In an effort to get firearms off the streets, the city had set up six sites around town where people could drop off their weapons — no questions asked — in return for gift cards. […]