ONE BIG THING: GHOST KITCHENS
What’s a Ghost Kitchen?
Ghost kitchens are commercial kitchens used exclusively for food delivery apps like Uber Eats and DoorDash. One in Echo Park, for example, hosts 26 different food vendors under one roof.
The Issue
Ghost kitchens first popped up during the pandemic. But since they’re so new, they’re largely unregulated.
Instead of taking into account the high volume of deliveries and traffic, they’re treated the same as catering kitchens, which produce a lot of food, but with much fewer deliveries. That mismatch has real impacts on our neighborhoods, including:
- Severe traffic buildup from drivers waiting on orders
- Illegal parking in red zones and in front of hydrants
- Idling vehicles and constant exhaust pollution
- Reckless driving through residential streets
The Solution
Last week, we introduced a motion to create a new land use definition specifically for ghost kitchens. If approved, the Planning Department will develop a report with potential guidelines — like parking minimums or restrictions on residential locations.
What About Right Now?
We also introduced a second motion to create “exclusion zones” around ghost kitchens. This would prevent delivery drivers from clustering nearby while waiting for orders. Instead, drivers would only be connected to orders when they’re at least 1,000 feet away — using technology that already exists to alleviate traffic impacts.
What’s Next?
Both motions will now go to City Council committees for review. In the meantime, near the Echo Park site and elsewhere in the district, we’ve:
✅ Deployed extra LADOT parking and traffic enforcement
✅ Trimmed overgrown trees to improve visibility
✅ We’ll continue to work with neighbors to find solutions to these issues
One More Quick Hit
- Investing in a Public Bank
This week, we joined Councilmembers Jurado and Hernandez to allocate $45,000 in discretionary funds to jumpstart a feasibility study for a public bank in Los Angeles — sending a clear message: it’s time to move on from a broken system that puts Wall Street before our communities.
💡 What’s a Public Bank?
A public bank is owned by the people, not private shareholders. It reinvests public dollars into communities, not corporate profits. Instead of paying over $1 billion a year in interest to Wall Street, LA could use that money to fund affordable housing, climate solutions, and public infrastructure.
CD13 Pet of the Week
Meet Perla, the Pet of the Week
She’s beauty, she’s grace, she’s Perla💅✨ This lovely girl is a youthful and bright Pitbull terrier mix with an abundance of energy and love to share
Are you seeing those floppy ears? It’s Perla’s world and we are just living in it…
Let’s free this pearl from her shell—tap in at East Valley to meet her today!
