Olvera Street and the Threat from Los Angeles

LA's Monument Commission seems bent on destroying the city's most important history.

(LOS ANGELES) - The birthplace of Los Angeles is under threat of financial siege and elimination over a move from city bureaucrats who according to records, are operating in violation of a 1999 City Council Mandate.

Every day this is where old world entertainment meets Mexican and Spanish culture, and it has been happening consistently for almost 200 straight years^[1].

I realized after cutting the video that one of the buildings on this ancient by western standards street, actually dates back to 1818.

But the Monument Commission in LA told the Merchants who preserve and run Olvera Street, that their rent is going to go up by almost $900,000 a year.

"They're been trying to tear down Olvera Street for a long time, but that's history. This is history, you know the church? The oldest church, that's history."

It's unthinkable to residents like 78-year old John Arranaga, who was born in East LA and has visited Olvera Street since he was a child.

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Tim King's report on the history & future of Olvera Street, the single oldest street in LA, Calif.

I know if my dad were still alive, he would be furious over this news of Olvera Street merchants being priced out of existence. The same goes for my mom; I know she'd give 'em Hell for even talking about such a thing.

History meant a lot to my parents, it means a lot to me, and it is wise to remember that some people are literally against history; their goal in life is to tear it down to profit from the land.

When I was growing up in LA during the 1970's, we regular visited places like Bunker Hill which is now totally redeveloped, but then was a place where dazzling old elaborate Victorian houses waited out their last days of broken down existence.

Then there was The Pike in Long Beach, maybe not as historical, but a real place of Southern California nostalgia.

Angel's Flight is another piece of Downtown LA history that is still around, more or less. The original closed in 1969. A replacement track that initially opened in 2001, and was the scene of a fatal accident then, has again reopened, in fact very recently, on 15 March 2010, and that is a good thing. I have vague memories of the very last Angels Flight ride which would have been 1969^[2].

Regarding the possible closure of Olvera Street, I asked this gentleman if things were as bad as what I was hearing.

"I mean, people feel like they're under threat, is that the word you're hearing?"

"Yes, I heard they're closing down a lot of these places because the rent is going too high," John answered.

What's seriously wrong with this threat of mass closure, is that the demand is directly contrary to the 1999 City Council mandate that rents charged be fair and reasonable.

John Arranaga said, "And they're always talking about 'save the animals' that are part of history, save this, this is history".

If you haven't visited, Olvera Street, also known as El Pueblo Historic Monument, is a colorful village dating back to the 1820's, that features 27 historic buildings in a traditional Mexican style plaza area.

One building, the Avila House, is where my great great great grandmother Juana Maria Avila was born. This amazing structures survived earthquakes in the 1970's and the 1870's^[3].

I didn't see specific reference to Juana Maria Avila last time I went through with a little time on my hands, but the fact that she was born there is cited in the book Windows in an Old Adobe by Bess Garner Williams.

When I was small, my family still partly possessed our ranch outside of Chino, California. At one point this area, now a California State Historical monument, the "Yorba-Slaughter Adobe", was a several thousand acre ranch. When my dad was growing up it was still a ranch, though scaled down.

Later the family donated it to the state to get it on the historical roster and prevent the Prado Dam floodwaters from turning it into a mini Atlantis.

Fenton Slaughter was the first gringo to marry into my family on my dad's mom's side. The Spanish families I am descended from and connected to beyond Avila, are the Alvarado's and the Palomares family.

If you trace it back through the book I mentioned above, I am actually a direct descendant of Pedro de Alvarado, the Lieutenant of Hernando Cortez who pillaged the Native Americans in the 1500's. Pedro de Alvarado was known for his role in conquering the people in Peru.

It is shameful history but as real as it gets, so I learn even from my ancestor's errors, and hope the impact of my life on others is the complete and total opposite of theirs.

So granted, in my case the idea of preserving Olvera Street involves family and is personal, but it should be personal to everyone in LA and all of California^[4].

You have to hold onto this, people need to call their elected officials and make their case. I will bring more information forward on this. The history is beyond belief, and could never be replaced.

In fact, there is no older settlement on the west side of the country that I know of, that has been continuously populated.

The city of LA has councilors who understand the importance of Olvera Street. Its closure would literally cut the heart out of the city of angels. Other historic locations are already gone, this one must stay.

"Olvera Street is a vital part of El Pueblo de Los Angeles State Historic Park (“El Pueblo”), which the State Assembly declared was to “establish and preserve, as a unique historical and cultural resource for the people of the State, the Mexican and early cultural and interpretive traditions and heritage of El Pueblo De Los Angeles as well as to promote the preservation of the landmarks and buildings of this historic State Park. Over 42 merchants of Mexican descent, some of whom have 5 family generations of ownership of businesses on Olvera Street have served visitors for over 80 years."

Tim King is a former U.S. Marine with twenty years of experience on the west coast as a television news producer, photojournalist, reporter and assignment editor. In addition to his role as a war correspondent, this Los Angeles native serves as Salem-News.com's Executive News Editor. Tim spent the winter of 2006/07 covering the war in Afghanistan, and he was in Iraq over the summer of 2008, reporting from the war while embedded with both the U.S. Army and the Marines.

Tim holds numerous awards for reporting, photography, writing and editing, including the Oregon AP Award for Spot News Photographer of the Year (2004), first place Electronic Media Award in Spot News, Las Vegas, (1998), Oregon AP Cooperation Award (1991); and several others including the 2005 Red Cross Good Neighborhood Award for reporting. Serving the community in very real terms, Salem-News.com is the nation's only truly independent high traffic news Website. You can send Tim an email at this address: newsroom@salem-news.com

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Kalleen May 5, 2010 9:38 am (Pacific time)

The people would never let this happen! I know I won't just stand looking while big corps with small statured men tear down more of L.a.'s soul! NO WAY!!!

Rueben Cruz May 4, 2010 8:25 am (Pacific time)

Tim,

Thanks for clearing that up, fascinating history, take care!

Added by Tim King May 3, 2010 11:34 pm (Pacific time)

This is directly from the group Save Olvera Street:

In 1985, the City became the administrator of El Pueblo. In 1992, the citizens of Los Angeles passed, with City Council support, Proposition H which was intended to protect the Merchants’ right to remain as tenants on a long term basis. Proposition H stated purpose was to “preserve the cultural integrity of the City’s birthplace and protect the merchants currently operating businesses on Olvera Street through City provided long term leases which are not subject to competitive bidding. In furtherance of this mandate, Proposition H acknowledged that “Olvera Street has been a unique historic, cultural and social resource. Its merchants have been bringing Mexican traditions to the community for over 80 years. Merchant commitment and involvement have helped preserve this historic landmark.” Over 2 million people visit El Pueblo every year.

In implementing Proposition H, the City Council directed that its El Pueblo overseeing commission (“Monument Commission”) “enter into long term concession agreements with the existing merchants on Olvera Street without any arbitrary or artificial limit for their duration, but rather with their duration to be determined based on what is negotiated as being fair and reasonable so as to treat all merchants equitably regardless of the size of the merchant’s business.”

In 1999, the City Council passed, by unanimous vote, a resolution that directed the Monument Commission to prepare a Master Lease for the Merchants whose essential terms were:

•Term of 55 years.
•Rental rates could be adjusted every five years at the lower of the CPI Index, or comparable market rents.
•All Olvera Street merchants would pay a common area maintenance (CAM) fee to the City.
•The City would provide, at its expense, certain capital improvements including a new adjacent to Olvera Street parking structure costing $5,000,000 and rents could not be increased until this parking structure was completed.

The City Council recognized the vital necessity of continuing, and enhancing the visitor presence on Olvera Street, to support the Merchant’s business, by passing a resolution acknowledging that “parking in and around El Pueblo is extremely limited and on summer weekends, parking lots are commonly filled to capacity, with visitors having to park significant distances away, or leaving altogether.” The City Council then authorized the construction of an adjacent $5,000,000 parking structure. Notwithstanding this City commitment to the Merchants, from 1999 to this date, this vital parking structure has not been constructed, depriving the Merchants of the means to generate and maintain visitors to Olvera Street and ultimately affecting their revenue and profitability.

In 1999, in reliance on the City Council direction to the Monument Commission to enter into a fair and reasonable Master Lease with the Merchants, including the above mentioned terms, and in reliance on the City’s commitment to build a $5,000,000 parking structure, the Merchants agreed to pay increased rental to the City amounting to $900,000 per year. In all, from 1999 until now, the Merchants have paid over $10 Million in rental to the City. After 1999, the Merchants also incurred another significant expense. The County reassessed the value of their previous short term leases based on 55 year lease term, and significantly increased the property tax paid by the Merchants. In further reliance, many of the Merchants also installed, at their expense, improvements to their leased premises. Accordingly, the Merchants and the Merchants Association believe they have legally enforceable rights to require the City and the Monument Commission to continue to permit them to lease their premises on the terms directed by the City Council in 1999.

The City and Monument Commission now claim that the Merchants are not paying their fair share of the cost of restoring, maintaining and operating all of El Pueblo and that most of the Merchants have no legally enforceable right to lease their premises for a term of 55 years at the rental rate set out in the 1999 City Council directive. Such is not true. El Pueblo consists of a several acre State Historic Park site with museums, a historic church, a park and offices of which Olvera Street is but a small portion of this much larger historic site. Among other revenues from El Pueblo, the City receives in excess of $2 million yearly (costing $13 per car) from its 5 nearby, but inadequate to service Olvera Street parking lots, which service the entire El Pueblo historic site. None of such parking income is reimbursed to the Merchants. The City, by its own choice, has allowed the office buildings bordering Olvera Street to remain largely vacant. On the other hand, the Merchants have fairly paid their way through yearly rental totaling $900,000, yearly payment of County real estate taxes and by the payment of sales taxes from retail sales.

Now, the Monument Commission has noticed the Merchants of a rent increase of an additional $900,000 yearly and threatened to file a lawsuit, evicting on 3 days notice, all Merchants who do not pay its demanded rent. In all, the Monument Commission demanded increase of $900,000 yearly is directly contrary to the 1999 City Council mandate that rents charged be fair and reasonable. In the meantime, the 1999 City promised $5,000,000 parking structure deemed vital to the success, indeed survival, of the Merchants business has never been constructed.

The Monument Commission’s demanded rent of more than $1,800,000 is not fair nor reasonable (as directed that it must by the City Council in 1999) and is a hardship on the Merchants such that the ability of all of the Merchants business to succeed is significantly curtailed, or, in some instances, destroyed. The Merchants and their families have for generations invested their lives, well being, capital and ability to earn a living, on the success of their businesses on Olvera Street, which will in many instances, also be destroyed by the Monument Commission demands.

The Merchants Association has retained attorney Paul Hamilton and the law firm of Jeffer Mangels Butler and Marmaro LLP to evaluate the Merchants’ legal rights against the City and to assist it in an immediate effort to achieve an amicable, fair and reasonable, resolution of their differences with the City and the Monument Commission. The Merchants Association invites Mayor Villaraigosa, Councilmember Jose Huizar and the City Attorney’s Office to join it in this effort, and, at the earliest opportunity, meet with the Merchants Association and their counsel.

Rueben Cruz May 3, 2010 6:21 pm (Pacific time)

Tim did you use a commercial organization to look up and verify your family history? I also trace my ancestors back many centuries, but have found that though there are common names, it does not make for a blood connection. It has taken me many years and considerable traveling to get my family history, but now I can provide it to all family members with documentation.

Tim King: Good questions Rueben, there are family trees in the book I referenced and short of that it is family information. It would be interesting to get into it more. Fortunately we have some good living researchers in the family and they have completed recent work that I haven't completely absorbed yet. Thanks for dropping by.

LA Native May 3, 2010 2:03 pm (Pacific time)

Viva Olvera Street!

Vic May 3, 2010 1:15 pm (Pacific time)

This stinks...kind of an economic "eminent domain" thing...

Peter Schuck May 3, 2010 7:12 am (Pacific time)

Name names - who specifically are contravening the Council's directive?

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Olvera Street and the Threat from Los Angeles

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