Street Vendor Turf War in West Hollywood

00:00:00
Speaker 1: It is the John Phillips Show. Johnny's on vacation, so it's Randy Wang here flying solo. The phone number is eight hundred two two two five two two two one eight hundred two two two five two two two. You can email us at Johnny Don't Like show at gmail dot com, and make sure to check out my substack, the California Report, where I post video links to all the stories we're talking about at Randywangradio dot substack dot com. We start in West Hollywood, where there is a turf war going on, but it's not going on between different gang members. There's a turf war going on between hot dog vendors. The wild wild West of street vending has gotten to a point where we have comical headlines like hot dog stand turf war, sparks brawl in West Hollywood, and for this we go Tola in Los Angeles.

00:01:03
Speaker 2: There are urgent calls for action to address growing street vendor turf wars in West Hollywood.

00:01:08
Speaker 1: A residence and street vendor turf wars you can't be selling your hot dogs on my corner, Oh boy, West Hollywood.

00:01:17
Speaker 3: A residence and business owners say they've become dangerous at this point we want you to take a look at the fight that broke out early this morning in the Rainbow District. People say conditions have become unsanitary and unsafe.

00:01:29
Speaker 2: Ktla Is Carlos Saitho joins US Live Now from West Hollywood with reaction to the vendor turf war.

00:01:35
Speaker 4: Carlos Rick Koreen, if you've been out to the Rainbow District here in West Hollywood recently, you've noticed many street vendors on many of the street corners out here.

00:01:45
Speaker 5: Now it is quiet tonight.

00:01:47
Speaker 6: But video from over the weekend shows two.

00:01:49
Speaker 4: Street vendors getting into a fight, jocking for position.

00:01:55
Speaker 1: I get to imagine the competition gets pretty stiff among hot dog vendors. You know, I go the Pantagious Theater a lot, and as soon as you leave and the show is over, there's a whole line of.

00:02:06
Speaker 7: Hot dog carts.

00:02:07
Speaker 1: Like, how do you make sure you get the prime position that you're in front of that door. I'm sure there is a lot of bad blood between the fellow vendors. Also, you know you're gonna get a stomach ache. You know it's gonna happen. So if you still get one of those bacon wrapped hot dogs on the unsanitary tray with the propane tank that's on you.

00:02:37
Speaker 5: We hope gone wild.

00:02:43
Speaker 7: And no that doesn't mean what you think it means.

00:02:46
Speaker 5: We hope gone wild. That's how some people are now describing West Hollywood's iconic Rainbow District after a series of brawls have broken out on the street.

00:02:56
Speaker 1: Where's the ambassadors? I thought they're supposed to stop this kind of behavior.

00:03:00
Speaker 5: The latest happened early Sunday morning, the fight between two street vendors just after midnight. Video shows as to women.

00:03:08
Speaker 7: Go at it.

00:03:09
Speaker 1: Oh, oh, maybe it is wes Hollywood gone wild. I didn't realize this was a female on female hot dog vendor fight.

00:03:16
Speaker 5: Video shows as to women go at it allegedly over their turf on the corner of Santa Monica and Samba sent It.

00:03:24
Speaker 1: I wonder if the Vice mayor of Cutahey was there, because we know that she cares a whole lot about Fidy Arthur.

00:03:37
Speaker 5: Video shows as to women go at it allegedly over their turf on the corner of Santa Monica and Samba sent It, a prime spot for selling hot dogs. Their food stands left unattended.

00:03:50
Speaker 1: I bet the restaurants that pay an arm and a leg to be there in that area love these hot dog vendors.

00:03:59
Speaker 8: It's turf And I think that's what happened last night because I saw the video person trying to be pushed out of the vendors out of the way from in front of Beach of Sea Tropicata and then they went at it.

00:04:12
Speaker 5: Larry Block owns Block Party, who down the street and says the hot dog vendors have taken over the sidewalks, getting more aggressive.

00:04:20
Speaker 1: And I will say, as a resident of Los Angeles, the street vending scene has gotten completely out of control. And I'm not talking about in the permitted, regulated areas, like they have this thing on Sherman Way Thursdays through Saturdays called one to One Night Market where you have all these different vendors and food trucks in like this old Sizzler parking lot. That's cool, But let's talk about Sherman Way and Haskell right at the four h five freeway, where the entire corner you can't even walk because there are so many different vendors. And yeah, maybe you want to get your papoosas, maybe you want to get your tacos there's always a menudo guy down there, and I don't understand the constituency for street manudo.

00:05:07
Speaker 8: They here every weekend. They threaten business owners. If you ask them to move, it's a really dangerous situation to go after them. I besked them to move in front of my store, and.

00:05:17
Speaker 5: Other business owners say they've taken their concerns to the city's Public Safety Commission, but not enough is being done to regulate the street vendors.

00:05:25
Speaker 1: And that is because in the state of California, in the counties that opted in La being one, San Francisco being another one street vending and illegal street vending, everything that has to do with street vending is not a law enforcement matter. This all thanks to a bill that was written and passed through the state Senate, signed into law by Jerry Brown, originally authored by now Insurance Commissioner then Senator Ricardo Laura.

00:06:02
Speaker 7: I'm very kind of sketch.

00:06:04
Speaker 1: In an incredibly misguided attempt to protect immigrant street vendors, we decided to decriminalize the act of illegal street vending, which not only means that you can have your unpermittent hot dog cart wherever you want and law enforcement can tell you to move. Public health has to tell you to move. In Los Angeles or in San Francisco, it's public works. But if you are in the mission in San Francisco and you are selling straight up stolen goods, law enforcement cannot intervene. And over the last few years you've seen that Scott Wiener keeps trying to advance these bills that would start to recriminalize the selling of stolen goods in the mission. Just by a teeny teeny tiny little bit on your third offense for an approved list of things that are commonly stolen at Walgreens, you will get a ticket.

00:06:57
Speaker 7: I don't think that's gonna do it.

00:07:00
Speaker 5: According to the UIHO Times, the city has increased enforcement efforts against unlicensed vendors, but a twenty nineteen state law limits the city's actions to administrative finds.

00:07:13
Speaker 1: It doesn't matter if you are breaking environmental codes, it doesn't matter that you don't have a permit, and it doesn't matter again that you're selling stolen goods. Law enforcement cannot intervene. Things to a bill written by Ricardo Laura, but.

00:07:28
Speaker 5: A twenty nineteen state law limits the city's actions to administrative finds.

00:07:33
Speaker 8: Code compliance has been out a few times to try to push them away from the businesses. But it's an intermittent operation, it's not enforced, and they're actually killing the trees and pouring the grease right on the street.

00:07:45
Speaker 1: Oh yeah, that's a whole other thing that in this decriminalized street vending world, we never talk about what happens to all the oil, what happens to all the grease, especially when you are frying things. Yeah, in the environmentally conscious Los Angeles and San Francisco, we have people just dumping their grease and their oil right on the street, right on the sidewalk, maybe even in a sewer drain.

00:08:15
Speaker 5: Other brawls that have broken out in recent months have it directly involves street vendors since there's been heightened visibility of security ambassadors as well as Sure.

00:08:25
Speaker 1: Don't forget it was West Hollywood when Lindsay Horrovath now on the La County Border Supervisors but then on the West Hollywood City Council voted to defund the Sheriff's Department and replace them with block by block ambassadors.

00:08:39
Speaker 5: As well as Sheriff's dipputies patrolling the streets before frustrated business owners. They want the city to take action.

00:08:46
Speaker 8: There has to be a way to accommodate licensed street vendors without having illegal license street vendors.

00:08:56
Speaker 1: Well, first we have to get rid of the law that decriminalized all of this. And then you want a you want regulated zones. You know, we are so specific on where restaurants are allowed to be and how they're allowed to operate. How is it even close to fair that you can set up a hot dog cart, a taco cart, to fruit cart, what have you, right in front of the place that is paying all the taxes and all the fines and all the fees to operate there.

00:09:22
Speaker 7: That seems like unfair competition.

00:09:25
Speaker 4: Now, we reached out to the City of West Hollywood for a common regarding this story.

00:09:29
Speaker 9: We have yet to hear back.

00:09:31
Speaker 4: We're live and we Hoe tonight, Carlos Elsevo Katielly five News.

00:09:35
Speaker 1: So there you go, the brawl between hot dog vendors that law enforcement can't really do anything about because even that falls under the category of administrative fees and administrative finds. Instead of I don't know, telling people to knock it off, you're not supposed to be here. I thought the whole point was we're supposed to have permits, and the Public Health Department is the one that's supposed to regulate the street vending in Los Angeles County Barbara Ferrare. And something tells me that the same health department inspectors that will shut down in RB's if there's too many crickets, they're not going around to every single one of these cards. Look, if you enjoy street food, good for you. All I'm saying is somebody that spent time working in food service. My first job was working at the fast food establishments at six Flags Magic Mountain. I've had to deal with health departments as a manager, I had to deal with being compliant, and I've even had a restaurant shut down because a mouse appeared under Wally Moose at Musburger Lodge. That really happened. It was wild. I don't think the street vending that we have is held to the same level of scrutiny, to the simplest of things like making sure you're handling food with plastic gloves.

00:10:58
Speaker 7: Do you have a hand washing state?

00:11:00
Speaker 1: There are so many different regulations that restaurants have to follow that the street vendors don't have to follow. And again, as long as you are willingly taking that risk. Got no problem with it. If you know that's what you're getting into, go for it, enjoy yourself. But I didn't necessarily trust the safety of a lot of these vendors. Now it's not just selling hot dogs and selling stolen goods. But there was a little dust up in Glendora when it came to selling flowers on Mother's Day, and Flores probably loved this story, as a woman selling flowers on the side of the freeway didn't have permits and got her flowers confiscated.

00:11:42
Speaker 10: Here's NBCLA cell phone video shows Glendora police officers confiscating bundles of bouquets for so on Mother's Day. Left vendors already hit hard by the impact of the immigration rates in a bit of a pinch also because of their raising rising costs. They're in a tough spot right now, and on one of the busiest days.

00:12:01
Speaker 1: NBC fors Macy Jenkins. If you're buying Mother's Day flowers on the side of the freeway on Mother's Day, why even go that far? Why put in the least amount of effort at the last possible minute, Just say screw it. Also, I just don't get flowers. Luckily, my wife doesn't care about flowers, but I don't get it.

00:12:21
Speaker 10: And on one of the busiest days for sales, NBC fors Macy Jenkins is lied with details on what happened and why.

00:12:28
Speaker 11: Macy, Well, Kathy and McCollough. Mother's Day is typically a big business day for flower merchants. Now, Glendora Police Department says it issued several warnings across the city to several flower vendors and they said this is all over the permitting process. They confiscated, confiscated several flowers and ended up arresting one person for selling flowers within five hundred feet of the freeway and for not providing a valid ID.

00:12:59
Speaker 7: You know they're deaf.

00:13:00
Speaker 1: Is an issue and this should be something that we should be enforcing. Look, I understand there are people, they're just trying to make a buck. They're trying to sell you something when you get off the freeway, but you are impeding traffic. You are distracting people getting off those freeways. At the same time, we shouldn't have panhandlers on those freeway off ramps either.

00:13:22
Speaker 12: Yeah, we've contacted people.

00:13:24
Speaker 5: Worry about yourself and I'm busy here.

00:13:27
Speaker 1: As soon as I'm done being busy here, then I'm gonna go back to around and talk to people.

00:13:31
Speaker 11: Cell Phone video recorded by Vanessa Roman shows her interactions Sunday with Glendora police officers as they shut down pop ups and confiscated bundles of flowers for sale on Mother's Day.

00:13:43
Speaker 10: When I leave, then you can go check it out until I leave.

00:13:45
Speaker 5: Go on that side.

00:13:47
Speaker 11: We spotted a trail of merchants on Grand Avenue between Oakdale Memorial Park Cemetery and the two ten freeway exit. That's where Roman says officers took three hundred of her bouquets, even though she says she has a permit.

00:14:00
Speaker 7: Oh wow, that's a whole lot of flowers.

00:14:02
Speaker 11: Glendora police later telling us they counted two hundred confiscated bouquets and said they only took them because there was confusion about who owned them and they appeared to be abandoned.

00:14:12
Speaker 5: Guest they come on La Salida del Freeway.

00:14:15
Speaker 11: Raman says the officer cited her a three hundred dollars ticket because her business was encouraging cars to stop too close to the freeway exit and causing a traffic hazard was here.

00:14:25
Speaker 1: Yeah, that's as someone has to deal with the awful traffic in southern California every single day. Anything that impedes traffic, including people selling flowers and oranges. Uh huh go do we should have specific places where you can do that? But we are already adding so much unfair competition to the florist that has to pay to be an established business.

00:14:50
Speaker 11: At ten dollars per bouquet, she says she's missing out on three thousand dollars in holiday sales. Benjamin Santos is one of her regulars.

00:14:59
Speaker 13: Like, you know, that's off I guess like public safety or something like that.

00:15:02
Speaker 1: So I like that he's a regular of the side of the freeway flower vendor because he knows he's going to forget at the last minute to get flowers every single time.

00:15:12
Speaker 5: I'm surprised, you know, I've been going there for years.

00:15:14
Speaker 11: He found his backup plan just down the street.

00:15:17
Speaker 7: The business woman, as they say.

00:15:19
Speaker 11: Oh sway, Mendoza's family pop up is set up just across the street from the Oakdale entrance.

00:15:24
Speaker 1: Yeah, the police have you know else I can't stand And luckily I don't know if anyone does this anymore. But do you ever remember when you'd go to a restaurant, maybe you're on a date with your wife, maybe you're on a date with someone that might become your wife, and those people go up to your table trying to sell you a rose for ten dollars.

00:15:41
Speaker 7: What are they supposed to do with that? Uh ah? Yeah, the police have talked to me.

00:15:47
Speaker 10: Everything is okay.

00:15:48
Speaker 13: I showed them a permit and they said they were good.

00:15:50
Speaker 10: I'm pretty state it is right here. You're trying to enforce the law, so then there's no accidents or anything that happens.

00:15:56
Speaker 11: Santos disappointed his go to spot was shut down, but grateful he didn't have to leave empty handed.

00:16:02
Speaker 14: Have your mother day, Mom.

00:16:03
Speaker 6: I love you and I'll see you soon, and I hope you like these flowers.

00:16:11
Speaker 7: Just get her an Amazon gift card.

00:16:13
Speaker 11: Glendora Police Department says it regularly enforces all aspects of city code, including laws about sidewalk vending, and when.

00:16:20
Speaker 1: These or the smaller cities in La County, they really do actually do the things that government is supposed to do.

00:16:27
Speaker 7: Los Angeles. Uh uh.

00:16:29
Speaker 1: It is to borrow a term from our friends in Oakland.

00:16:32
Speaker 11: This wow Wow, and when the permitting process is not followed, they say necessary action is taken. Recording live in Glendora tonight, Macy Jenkins, NBC four News.

00:16:43
Speaker 7: So there you go.

00:16:44
Speaker 1: That's the latest on what's going on in the wide, wonderful world.

00:16:47
Speaker 7: Of street vending.

00:16:49
Speaker 1: If you need to take one thing away from this show, it's that you should know that you learn today that female hawk dog vendors are getting into fist fights in West Hollywood over the turf. Let's go to AD in Lake County.

00:17:05
Speaker 7: Ad.

00:17:05
Speaker 15: Hello, Brandy, how are you, sir? Doing great running the show? Good to see it. Hey, So I spoke to you a little while back, maybe a month ago, regarding the same topic about the inundation of these roadside meat vending stands. We have about five or six operating up here in Lake County, same sort of number in Mendocino County. I'm not sure how many with the INCINEVA and NAPA, but I was informed by the Director of Environmental Health here in my county that this is a group out of Riverside, California. Riverside County there's more than one hundred and twenty active vendors under the same ownership. They have a banner, they have the phone number, they have no license, they have no permits. So typically what they do is they come out about seven o'clock and they operate till about midnight. The only person allowed to enforce the ordinance in place being there as an escalated three tiered fine, and then the ability to confiscate the equipment and what they're vending the actual product that can be done by environmental health.

00:18:16
Speaker 1: That's the same thing we've got going on in San Francisco, and LA law enforcement's not allowed thanks to a state law written by Ricardo Laura. Thanks for the call. It's Randy Wang here and the phone number is eight hundred two two two five two two two one eight hundred two two two five two two two. You can email us at Johnny Don't Like show at gmail dot com. You can check out my substack where I post all of the stories, all the YouTube links. It's at Randywangradio dot substack dot com. You can subscribe for free, and then when I post this thing at ten thirty every day, you can get it in your email box. And of course you can download the podcasts of this show in case you miss anything that we're doing here. We post all three hours. I also post the podcast of my five o'clock show, the KABC News Blitz. Check it out at KBC dot com, KSFO dot com, anywhere that you get your podcast, you can find the John Phillips Show or the KBC News Blitz.

00:19:14
Speaker 7: Hey, look at this.

00:19:14
Speaker 1: Seven ninety KABC welcomes Andrea Bocellie to the Hollywood Bowl on September fifteenth and sixteenth. Tickets are on sale now at ticketmaster dot com. But right now call it number nine at one, eight at eight seven ninety five to two to two two gets a pair of tickets to the show on September sixteenth. Tickets furnished by Live Nation. Good luck dialing. This is a story we're going to file under Wait, they didn't already ban that? In San Francisco, supervisors are considering banning smoking, tobacco products, cigarettes, vapes, what have you on restaurant patios and parklets. And the first thought that I had was probably the first thought that you had, was they haven't already banned that. For more on this, we go to k TVU Fox two in the.

00:20:09
Speaker 13: Bay Tobacco troubles.

00:20:12
Speaker 7: There's some alliteration for you.

00:20:14
Speaker 9: Tobacco troubles tonight at a contentious debate in San Francisco over whether people should be allowed to smoke at bar patios and parklets.

00:20:22
Speaker 1: I feel like they're I do love the parklets. I was up in San Francisco last weekend, had a wonderful time. I'm gonna tell you all about it later in the show, but I gotta say I'm a big fan of the parklets. I'm sure if you actually have to drive and park in the city, the fact that there are fewer parking spaces is irritating, But the fact that there is so much patio dining now in San Francisco, it's just it's a good time.

00:20:49
Speaker 14: I feel like they're coming after the wrong people or the wrong ideas, are prioritizing the wrong things.

00:20:54
Speaker 16: This legislation is very important to improve our clean indoor air, to protect the public health, and to save.

00:21:00
Speaker 1: Well clean indoor air. This is for outdoor. I think it's been banned indoors for a very long time.

00:21:05
Speaker 16: This legislation is very important to improve our clean indoor air, to protect the public health, and to save it live.

00:21:12
Speaker 9: Supporters say and Ordnance banning smoking on bar patios will lead to a healthier San Francisco, while opponents argue the city is creating more troubles for small businesses. Good Evening, I'm Greg.

00:21:22
Speaker 17: Lee and I'm Christina Rendon. Tonight, more than sixteen hundred people have signed an online petition against the proposal. New attend KTV.

00:21:29
Speaker 7: How many packs a day are those signers?

00:21:31
Speaker 17: New attend KTV us Amberley joining us lie from the city with both sides of the issue.

00:21:36
Speaker 12: Amber Christina. We're in front of O'Reilly's, a pub that would be affected by the ban now. Supporters say it's a matter of protecting public health. Opponents say the ban is unnecessary now and make sure we.

00:21:51
Speaker 14: Try and keep it as clean as possible. I also have this cigarette disposal. There's also another one over there.

00:21:56
Speaker 12: Neil Holbrook is co owner of O'Reilly's Pub in San francisco Hate Ashbury neighborhood. His parklet is located near the front entrance of his bar, is designated for patrons who smoke.

00:22:07
Speaker 14: One of the main reasons we have a parklet the social one can go out and have a cigarette.

00:22:11
Speaker 15: With their beer.

00:22:11
Speaker 1: Halbrook opposes a how does that work with the flavor pairing?

00:22:16
Speaker 7: Like I've never been a smoker. I'm not my thing.

00:22:21
Speaker 1: But like when you you know, when you're enjoying the flavor of a good whiskey or good tequila, a good beer. How does this tobacco mix in with that? Are there pairings? Is it something where they can compliment each other? I don't get it. Then, of course I know if you do smoke cigarettes, that smell is the greatest thing in the world to you, even if you quit.

00:22:41
Speaker 12: Halbrook opposes a possible ban on smoking in outdoor patios and parklets that are part of a bar or tavern.

00:22:48
Speaker 16: This isn't allowed, s Effrancis comes the only city.

00:22:51
Speaker 12: Doctor John ma a surgeon with San Francisco Marin Medical Society, worked on the ordinance with supervisor Myrna Melgar. He says the span would close a loophole since state and local laws already banned restaurants and other food establishments from allowing smoking indoors and outdoors.

00:23:09
Speaker 1: See, this is what I was confused about, is wait, how is this already not ban? It's like the weird loophole where the plastic bag ban in the state of California didn't affect San Francisco because they had an older one that wasn't as strong, but that one took precedence, so you can still get those weird thick plastic bags in San Francisco.

00:23:31
Speaker 7: They're changing that now.

00:23:33
Speaker 1: But all right, so there's a little loophole where you can still smoke on some of these bar patios.

00:23:38
Speaker 16: This is to protect the patrons of these establishments and also very important.

00:23:45
Speaker 1: Well, if a bar, by the way, I'm sure this is you know, a bar restaurant has to decide if they're going to allowed to begin with, you know where the places are the people go to smoke. You know where the places are the people don't go to smoke, so you can definitely be a discerning patron. Don't want to smell that. Well, then you know the place is not to hang out at.

00:24:04
Speaker 16: Patrons of these establishments, and also very importantly the employees and anyone who might be exposed to the secondhand smoke.

00:24:12
Speaker 12: There is an online petition that lists numerous bars that oppose the smoke free ordinance. These patrons tell me they don't smoke, but question the effectiveness of the proposed ban.

00:24:22
Speaker 1: Well, and part of the problem with the ban is now you're making the servers, the bartenders and the waiters who are already so overtaxed, already so overstressed, they're probably all understaffed. Now they have to be the cigarette police, because it's not like law enforcements doing this. No, this is the establishment has to police themselves. No smoke in here.

00:24:46
Speaker 13: I don't know how they are gonna Does this.

00:24:48
Speaker 7: Apply to tobacco or also to pot I don't know how to.

00:24:52
Speaker 1: I don't think it's as big of an issue in San Francisco as it is in LA.

00:24:57
Speaker 7: But everywhere in La smells like pop all the time.

00:25:01
Speaker 15: I don't know how they are going to enforce it because people just move down the street ten feet and then what now the bar owner is running around chasing people outside for smoking.

00:25:10
Speaker 6: I think it's hard enough to own a small business. It can also as people.

00:25:13
Speaker 1: So you can't do it at the park lit but you know there's nothing that's stopping you from doing it on the street corner next to the parklet, and depending on if your downwind or up, when the smoke is going to travel in one direction.

00:25:24
Speaker 6: I think it's hard enough to own a small business. It can also as people just say hey, if you would you mind smoking somewhere else? And solve problems face to face, rather than requiring a law and then like, well, I'm.

00:25:34
Speaker 7: Enforcing a lot.

00:25:35
Speaker 12: Supervisor Melgar's office is the goal is not to be punitive, but to encourage compliance. Her staff would do outreach with bar owners and they would receive free.

00:25:44
Speaker 1: You're gonna get stickers that say no smoking, not even outside, and.

00:25:49
Speaker 12: They would receive free signas for their establishments. Supporters say this Ben sends an important message.

00:25:55
Speaker 16: To really put the health of San Francisco, to put the health of the citizens above profits.

00:26:02
Speaker 14: I just feel like they Kouman after.

00:26:03
Speaker 1: The above profits. You know you're talking about the restaurant and bar industry. Right, profits are slim.

00:26:11
Speaker 14: I just feel like the Kuman after the wrong people or the wrong ideas are prioritizing the wrong things.

00:26:18
Speaker 12: The proposed ordinance goes to committee on May eighteenth. If it passes there, it will go to the full Bord of Supervisors for a vote next month. If it becomes law, it wire going to effect early next year.

00:26:30
Speaker 17: Christina Amberley live in the city for US Tonight. Amber thank you, So.

00:26:35
Speaker 7: There you go.

00:26:35
Speaker 1: This is the proposed outdoor parklet and patio smoking ban in San Francisco. And here's the issue that I have with it. I do not like smoking. I do not like the smell of it. I don't want to have to deal with that if I'm outside. That being said, I think for any place, not just San Francisco, but California to really want to enforce our tobacco smoking ordinances and laws, have a little work to do first, because it's really, really, really hard for me to buy into that. We shouldn't allow the tax paying citizen to destroy their lungs with tobacco while they're sitting on a bar patio chugging a beer, when right around the corner you can have a homeless person not paying taxes smoking meth right on the street. I think, if you really want some buy in here. Because all kinds of smoke are bad, bad for our health. Secondhand smoke is a thing when it comes to tobacco, but I would imagine it's also a thing when it comes to pot And it's also a thing. I mean, what do you think hot boxing is all about? But it's also a thing when it comes to fentanyl and meth. If we're going to outlaw all the smoking, we should start with the most dangerous of those substances, the meth, the fentanyl, and not be allowing anybody on our streets or a public spaces to be smoking these dangerous chemicals and putting them in the air. So if we clean up all of that, because San Francisco wants to be smoke free, we want everyone to have clean lungs, you're gonna first have to deal with that. Then you're probably also going to have to deal with the pot smoking, because shouldn't that only be in designated areas or inside, although, like I said, I feel like that's a bigger thing in La than it is in San Francisco. Then then then finally, if we did all that, nobody is smoking anything outside anymore, nobody is vaping, none of that nonsense is happening, then sure, go after the people that want to smoke on the parklet in the patio. But first, maybe, just first, can we go after the meth smoking and the fentinel smoking. We have an unfortunate update when it comes to the city of Oakland. The bad press surrounding the violent incidents that happen after First Friday's events have led to more sponsors and more vending vendors taking their money out of First Fridays.

00:29:35
Speaker 11: Elkland, I love you, but you don't love me.

00:29:38
Speaker 1: So First Fridays is an event that happens on the first Friday of every month, and it's supposed to be a fun street festival, a gathering of the neighborhood. And you know what, that's all great, But what has been happening is once these festivals start winding down around nine o'clock at night, that's when the riff raft comes out. Notably last time, it was a whole bunch of young people who, with the organization they use on social media, decided to descend upon the areas surrounding First Fridays and livestream them beating the crap out of each other. Because that's what social media is now. It's a way for kids to get paid to create their own fight clubs. For more on the fallout from First Fridays here is Kron four.

00:30:27
Speaker 13: The future of a beloved Oakland event is in question tonight, with organizers for Oakland's First Friday's Street festival saying several sponsors have pulled out.

00:30:39
Speaker 1: I mean, I get it, you want to support the community, you want to bring everyone together, but when the first thing happens when you google First Fridays, is First Friday shooting or First Friday brawl. I don't know if you want to be associated with that. Even if these things aren't happening at the event proper, they still happening in the city.

00:31:01
Speaker 18: Over the years, you know, as crime kind of surfaces up and down. You know, we have been dealing with an issue with securing sponsors.

00:31:10
Speaker 7: For thirteen years.

00:31:11
Speaker 13: First Fridays in downtown Oakland has brought the city together, but director of the event, Vanessa McGee, says it's now at risk. Several sponsors have withdrawn their support, and she says it's because of negative attention stemming from crime that happens in the air well.

00:31:26
Speaker 1: Is it the negative attention from the crime or is it the crime? Who?

00:31:31
Speaker 7: What else do we go call superman?

00:31:34
Speaker 1: Because you can't fault you know, cron for or KTVU for pointing out that, yes, this happened around First Fridays. They want to make the distinction that it did not happen at First Fridays. But I think the people that are thinking of going to these festivals, or the people that are thinking of spending money and sponsoring these festivals, they don't want to be associated with the crime.

00:31:57
Speaker 13: And she says it's because of negative attention from crime that happens in the area hours after the event.

00:32:04
Speaker 18: Every month there is things happening in the downtown area and we're being blamed for it.

00:32:09
Speaker 1: So it's becoming well, and again, you can't blame the specific event, but this event, because it is a big, noticeable event, does draw police resources in a city where police resources are already stretched as thin as possible. So is it possible that because we're making sure that First Fridays is safe, that there is not enough patrol. Now there's not enough patrol on any given night when there isn't some big festival.

00:32:35
Speaker 7: But this is tough. I feel for.

00:32:38
Speaker 1: The people that want to organize something, that want to bring the community together, but it's hard to get to want to get the community to come together when the community is still so unsafe.

00:32:47
Speaker 18: Things happening in the downtown area and we're being blamed for it. So it's becoming more and more unattractive to sponsors. There's a lot of people who don't even attend Oakland First Fridays that are saying that's fine, don't go, and.

00:33:02
Speaker 1: It's just maybe you gotta make it during the day. Maybe it's First Saturdays and it's a daytime event, so there's less of a risk of that. I know, First Fridays we love the alliteration, but if the problem is that once it starts to get dark, all the riff raft comes out, maybe it needs to be a daytime thing.

00:33:19
Speaker 18: And it's just a horrible representation of what we stand for.

00:33:24
Speaker 13: McGee says she doesn't think the blame on the event is fair, and Oakland's First Fridays are carefully planned gatherings. Seven people were hurt last weekend when a car plowed through a crowd of people after a fight near the Fox Theater.

00:33:38
Speaker 1: And it wasn't one fight. It was a whole bunch of dumb young people live streaming themselves beating the crap out of each other. Now, is there a bigger conversation that needs to be had about the fact that we now have a system in place through social media that incentivizes committing crimes, that incentivizes violence for clicks. That's a whole other situation. But yeah, when First Fridays happens and the news reports on Monday morning, they're not going to be Hey, the festival was fun and we all had a good time.

00:34:13
Speaker 7: It's going to be hey.

00:34:14
Speaker 1: Right after the festival ended, a whole bunch of nonsense happened.

00:34:19
Speaker 13: It rings. Seven people were hurt last weekend when a car plowed through a crowd of people after a fight near the Fox Theater. Two people were arrested and police are still searching for the driver. But back in March, another incident happened hours after a First Friday's event, a shooting at Easy's Lounge on Fourteenth Street, where two people died, including a teacher. In a statement to Crown for Oakland, Mayor Barbara Lee said.

00:34:44
Speaker 1: Quote, this is what I don't understand about Oakland. Look, you give Oakland a pass for putting Shang Tao into office the first time, and we still.

00:34:56
Speaker 15: Got our Oakland a's baby.

00:34:58
Speaker 1: No you don't ring choice votevoting very confusing. Maybe she was going to be great. Then Shang Tao decides the first thing she needs to do is fire the police chief because he was blowing the whistle on the monitor. And then it takes a year and a half to replace him. Crime gets completely out of.

00:35:16
Speaker 7: Control, absolutely absolutely.

00:35:18
Speaker 1: And so the residents they band together, they rise up through grassroots organizations, including from our friend Seneca Scott. They successfully recall Shang Tao from office the same time they recall Alameda Da Pamela Price.

00:35:34
Speaker 13: She called me a crime boss.

00:35:37
Speaker 1: But I still to this day do not understand what was the point of all of that if you're going to then vote in. Barbara Lee speaks for me quite frankly, who has the exact same policies as Shang Tao. She's just much less entertaining.

00:35:58
Speaker 7: That's right.

00:35:59
Speaker 3: I like that. That is amazing.

00:36:01
Speaker 13: In a statement to cron four, Oakland may Or Barbara Lee said, quote, I want to be clear. These incidents occurred later in the evening after the Oakland First Friday's events had officially concluded.

00:36:11
Speaker 1: So what, we don't have enough police staff to make sure everyone after First Fridays is safe.

00:36:16
Speaker 13: We will continue to work with stakeholders to make the necessary strategic decisions to determine a path forward. End quote. McGee says events like First Fridays create opportunities in the community for everyone involved, and it would be a big blow if it couldn't continue.

00:36:31
Speaker 18: We've had brick and mortar locations say that they risk they received thirty to fifty percent increase in their income on those nights. It stimulates their business significantly to start off the month like that we are.

00:36:46
Speaker 7: That's great.

00:36:47
Speaker 1: I love it, but until we can get the riff raffit night figured out, first Saturdays noon to three, let's do it. I'll come host. One would love to do it. We'll probably need security though. It's Randy wayg Here on The John Phillips Show