LOS ANGELES — Today, Councilmember Eunisses Hernandez, Comisaria Cooperativa-Unión de Trabajadores Móviles, and Pico Union Housing Corporation announced the grand reopening of the Cypress Park Commissary. This 21st century commissary model is a groundbreaking public-private partnership aimed at preserving the legacy of longtime vendors while ushering in a new era of community-centered commerce in Cypress Park.
The newly launched space has been occupied by longtime vendors in the area for 25 years. However, in 2022 vendors were faced with compounding pressures that left most at-risk of eviction, primarily due to inability to keep up with rent costs. Upon taking office, Councilmember Hernandez partnered with the existing vendors, who formed the cooperative Comisaría Cooperativa-Unión de Trabajadores Móviles, to initiate a plan to grow a sustainable vendor-owned and operated commissary at the facility. Councilmember Hernandez invested over $400,000 of her office’s discretionary funds and partnered with Pico Union Housing Corporation—a leading organization for vendor rights and education—to serve as a fiscal sponsor to sustainably build the vendors’ financial capacity and eventually take over the full cost of the lease as a collective.
“Pursuing true economic equity means making bold investments to make sure communities aren’t left behind,” said Councilmember Hernandez. “My office’s decision to fund the launch of the Cypress Park Commissary has offered vendors the opportunities they deserve to build and sustain their businesses. I am proud to stand alongside Comisaria Cooperativa-Unión de Trabajadores and Pico Union Housing Corporation to celebrate the reopening of the commissary, and we will continue to support the vendors as they grow their collective capacity to sustainably manage and operate the facility.”
“We are excited because this is a project that we accomplished together and with support from Councilmember Hernández,” said Claudia Rebollar, Comisaria Cooperativa-Unión de Trabajadores Móviles President. “The reason we want to preserve this Commissary is because there are very few spaces like this and because it's an attempt to change the working conditions of mobile street vendors and our families.”
“La importancia de contar con esta instalación es que está cerca de nuestros lugares donde trabajamos evitando de este modo hacer un largo recorrido hasta otras comisaría que están a muchas millas de distancia convirtiendo – un gasto excesivo de combustible y de tiempo,” said Efrain Ayala, Comisaria Cooperativa-Unión de Trabajadores Móviles Director. “Lo importante de esto es que estamos trabajando en la sostenibilidad de este proyecto. Y deseamos apoyar incondicionalmente toda lucha que nos lleve al progreso. ¡De corazón gracias Concejal Eunisses Hernandez y gracias a todos los que nos apoyaron!”
“For the first time in collaboration with Council District 1, Pico Union Housing Corporation and Comisaria Cooperativa-Unión de Trabajadores Móviles, we established a space for street vendors to work in a safe and healthy environment without fear of breaking the law,” said Gloria Farias, Executive Director of Pico Union Housing Corporation. “Together, we are teaching them how to build their own non-profit, own their own LLC, and learn to be self-sufficient. We are grateful to Councilmember Hernandez for making this dream come true!”
The grand opening of the Cypress Park Commissary represents a significant milestone in Hernandez’s commitment to fostering economic empowerment and cultural preservation for vendors in her district.
CLICK HERE to access B-Roll and photos from today’s event.
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