A Los Angeles city program to help restaurants stay in business during the pandemic has quietly been put on hold, the NBC4 I-Team has learned. Some restaurants tell NBC4 they were depending on that program to stay open. “It would have allowed us to at least make enough money to cover our expenses and pay some of our rent, said Vianey Sanderson owner of the Down and Out Restaurant and Bar on Spring Street in DTLA. Local news from across Southern California In late June, LA Mayor Eric Garcetti announced phase 2 of the city’s “Al Fresco Program,” during which the LA Department of Transportation would issue temporary permits to restaurants to set up more outdoor tables including in lanes of the street. The city would also pay thousands of dollars per restaurant to set up barriers to separate tables in the street from cars. “We’re…empowering restaurants to set up outdoor dining on curbsides and closed streets,” Garcetti said in June. But the I-Team obtained LADOT correspondence that says the program is on pause. “We are not able to approve on-street dining options for the Al Fresco Program” the correspondence says, adding “there is no official statement at this […]
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