Westside Food Vendors 2019

Blue tents donned with white Christmas lights, white trucks or vans that pulled alongside the sidewalk, people of all ages and races lined up to eat what is said to be the most authentic Mexican food one could experience short of visiting Mexico itself. Up until September 17, 2018, when former Governor Jerry Brown signed Senate Bill 946, it was illegal for sidewalk vendors to sell their food. Law Enforcement would cite and possibly arrest vendors. With President Trump’s crack down on illegal immigration arresting these vendors would often result in deportation. As a resident of the westside of Los Angeles, I’d driven past the blue tents but never stopped, until now. Initially, I parked a distance from the vendor, watching the interactions and the flow of the activity, until it was time for me to put my camera around my neck. After introducing myself and getting their permission, I began photographing. Having been a cop in Los Angeles for many years, I expected there to be some trust issues at first and I was right. I came across hard working, talented cooks that hit the sidewalks Thursday through Sunday. With no fancy food truck or walls to separate them from their customers. Instead, they stood alongside them, unafraid of being arrested for providing some of the best carne asada on the westside of Los Angeles.