Street vendors are an essential part of Los Angeles’ history and its economy. You can find vendors with mobile carts and food trucks on street corners, outside concert venues, and sporting events selling hot dogs, tacos, burritos, churros, fruit, t-shirts, souvenirs, and just about anything else you can imagine. For decades, this activity was illegal. And even though vending was somewhat decriminalized in 2018, the line between legal and illegal is not always clear. Producer James Roque follows the stories of a few of these entrepreneurs, finding out why they started vending, the challenges they encounter on a daily basis, and how they fared during the last few years.
In this season of Unfictional, Stories of Transformation, and the ways in which the world — and all of us — have fundamentally changed since the pandemic began. One man watched his children suddenly turn into grown-ups, while another upended every part of his life. Someone else had to learn to live with hardship and found their true identity along the way, all while living in two worlds. Meanwhile, a subculture ascends, one reporter explores Olvera Street, and another finds an old notebook filled with memories from his time in a cabin. It’s UnFictional, hosted by Bob Carlson.