LA - Matt 4 Pratt

This kind of sneering elitism is exactly how you get Trump. Or Pratt.

The same people who support endless regulations and strict enforcement for legal businesses somehow have no problem with a tent restaurant opening on a public sidewalk regulation free. Here’s a short list of why that’s a problem. 1. Health Inspections. When you have a business in LA you have to pay for the proper health and food safety certifications and pass inspection repeatedly, often times at random. You can be shut down and lose everything if you do not comply and meet the standard. This includes proper sinks and sanitation of every corner, these tents don’t even have a sink to clean anything. 2. Lawsuits. You can be sued into oblivion by scumbag attorneys because the toilet paper roll in the bathroom wasn’t the proper height for a wheelchair customer they sent in to hit you with a lawsuit. Permits and Licensing. Legal businesses have to pay thousands in permits, licensing fees, zoning approvals, signage approvals, fire inspections, and endless bureaucratic hoops before they can even open their doors. 3. Taxes. Legitimate businesses pay sales tax, payroll tax, business tax, workers comp, unemployment insurance, and accounting fees while illegal vendors operate entirely in cash and contribute nothing. 4. Labor Laws. Restaurants and shops have to comply with minimum wage laws, overtime rules, mandatory breaks, workers compensation requirements, and employment paperwork or face massive penalties. Rent and Property Costs. Legal businesses sign expensive leases, pay utilities, insurance, maintenance, and security every month whether business is good or bad. 5. Insurance Requirements. Legal businesses are expected to carry liability insurance, food safety coverage, workers comp, and other policies because if something goes wrong they are held responsible. 6. ADA Compliance. Small businesses can spend enormous amounts modifying bathrooms, entrances, counters, ramps, and parking to comply with accessibility laws while illegal operations ignore all of it. 7. Fire Code Compliance. Restaurants and stores must install fire suppression systems, emergency exits, extinguishers, alarms, and pass inspections. Tent operations with propane tanks on sidewalks face none of these standards. 8. Environmental Regulations. Businesses are fined for improper grease disposal, waste handling, recycling violations, water runoff, or air quality issues while illegal setups dump trash and wastewater directly into public spaces. It is hard to explain to someone paying six figures a year to operate legally why they should compete against people operating tax free, permit free, inspection free, rent free and consequence free, and they decided right next to you was a great spot. These ideas are slowly chipping away at any remnants of a high trust and high functioning society.