The intensity of the sun has been difficult to avoid following excessive heat warnings issued by the National Weather Service and Los Angeles County on September 4. Originally set to end two days later, the heat warnings have now been extended to September 10.
Although students have the opportunity to escape the heat in classrooms throughout the day, other members of the community cannot say the same. The paleteros and fruit vendors that surround the USC campus remain outside in 100-degree weather in an attempt to make ends meet.
“Se siente feo, cualquier persona siente muy caliente y desesperado…se ve que es fácil pero no, el paletero sufre,” [It feels bad, any person would feel too hot and desperate…it seems easy but it’s not, paleteros (ice cream vendors) suffer] said Rubén, a paletero stationed near the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles.
Rubén has been selling paletas in the Los Angeles area for the last ten years. Evading the heat has been no easy feat; he’s moved closer to the museum in search of shade, but it hardly helps in such extreme temperatures.
Alonso Lopez, who sells fresh fruit at the Trousdale North Entrance located at the intersection of Jefferson Boulevard and Hoover Street, also spoke of ways he tries to stay cool, “El calor me esta afectando mucho…traemos agua para tomar para que así refresquemos el cuerpo,” [The heat is affecting me a lot…we carry drinking water to try and cool down our bodies.]
For Lopez, the heatwave is leading to a small uptick in sales, “Siempre me compran acá los alumnos, hasta ahorita estamos bien…de hecho, pasan acá por el calor y quieren fruta…” [The students always buy fruit from me here, up until now we’re doing alright…in fact, they pass by here because of the heat and are wanting fruit.]
However, not all vendors share this experience.
For Rubén, sales have come slowly, “Con el calor la venta baja…compra[n] más cuando está entre y frescura y medio calientito…todo este mes ha bajado mucho y casi no hemos podido hacer dinero,” [With this heat, sales decrease, [people] buy more when it’s between cool and kinda hot…this whole month [sales] have decreased a lot and we haven’t been able to make much money] said Rubén.
Pedro, a paletero near the Rose Garden echoed much of Rúben’s sentiments, “Pues no hay ventas, la gente no sale a comprar y sufrimos mucho por el calor, no más queda para la comida…no hay mucho dinero para sobrevivir, no alcanza el dinero,” [..There aren’t sales, people don’t come out to buy and we suffer a lot due to the heat. There ‘s only enough [money] left to buy food…there isn’t a lot of money to survive. The money isn’t enough.] Pedro notes sales of cold water have increased since the heat wave, but it isn’t enough to make up for the low sales overall.
The heat is just one of the issues currently affecting street vendors like Rubén and Pedro. “Si uno tuviera sus papeles y sabe algo del inglés, uno agarra un trabajo mejor,” [If one was documented and knew some English, one could get a better job], said Rubén. “La venta de paletas…no es como tener un trabajo seguro,” [Selling paletas…isn’t like having a stable job.]
The instability of street vending makes it difficult to maintain a living, but for many undocumented residents, access to other job opportunities proves difficult. Rising costs of produce and frequent targeting from police make street vending less than ideal, but is still a promising source of income.
Pedro, like many other vendors, has faced other risks while selling in the streets of Los Angeles. “En las calles también se vende pero también luego roban…el año pasado $200 nos robaron, mejor me vine para acá, aquí, al parque,” [Walking on the sidewalks you can also sell, but then sometimes you can get robbed. Last year we had $200 stolen from us. I came over here instead– here to the park.]
According to the California Street Vendors campaign, roughly 12,500 street vendors are active in the greater Los Angeles area. In hopes of making strides to help street vendors, the city of Los Angeles approved an ordinance on June 28 that reduces the cost of permits from $541 dollars to $27 dollars.
“By acknowledging the financial realities that these vendors face, we are honoring their hard work and dedication,” said Councilmember Curren Price in a press release, the representative for Council District 9, which USC belongs to. The city also appears to have settled with street vendors who alleged that the city was violating state law SB946, which legalized street vending across the state. According to the nonprofit public interest law firm, Public Counsel, the lawsuit alleged that restrictions on where street vendors could sell were being placed unfairly, and in response, the city repealed the ban on seven no-vending zones in July 2024.
While all of these efforts are a step in the right direction, street vendors continue to struggle to make a livable wage. Other government initiatives that could provide some relief, such as Section 8 housing benefits, aren’t available to undocumented residents in Los Angeles. “El gobierno ayuda pero necesita uno tener sus papeles en regla pa’ que tenga más oportunidades…ayuda no tengo del gobierno casi…” [The government helps but one needs to have their documentation in order, to have more opportunities, I don’t really have government help] says Rubén. Until all street vendors have access to proper support, their perseverance is what carries them through.
As the heat wave officially comes to a close on September 10, vendors will continue selling through any conditions thrown their way. These conditions will persist, and along with looming climate change dangers, street vendors continue to be some of the most vulnerable in the Latine community.
“Pero ni modo, aquí tenemos que aguantar, echarle ganas, no agüitarse…porque si se agüita uno pierde…” [But oh well, we have to endure, give it our best, not become disillusioned, because if one becomes disillusioned, we lose…] says Rubén.
For more information on street vendors’ rights visit: https://lastreetvendors.org/vendors/
Editor’s Note: Only first names were used in this story at the request of our sources to respect their requests for partial anonymity in connection with previous violence against street vendors.