Cedillo Pushes For Outdoor Dining on Figueroa

As a barometer of a neighborhood’s business life, nothing beats the sight of people seated on sidewalks outside restaurants and cafés, enjoying food and drinks. The image not only helps attract new businesses, thereby increasing the city’s tax dollars, but also arguably deters crime.

If Councilmember Gil Cedillo has his way, eateries in Highland Park and Cypress Park will be allowed to seat customers on sidewalks over a 12-month pilot period without the hassle of obtaining a city permit.

In a motion that Cedillo introduced in the Los Angeles City Council this past week, the councilmember asked that restaurants and cafés along the Figueroa Avenue Corridor stretching from Cypress Avenue to Avenue 60 be exempted from the so-called “R permit” issued by the Bureau of Engineering.

“Dining outdoors is very inviting to many people, and outdoor dining can turn an area into a pedestrian and community destination,” reads Cedillo’s Sept. 4 motion, which was seconded by CD 15 Councilmember Joe Buscaino and first reported by Eastsider L.A. 

“Sidewalk cafes and restaurants create a lively street environment, and can limit crime because so many people are keeping an eye on each other.”

Patch asks: What do you think of Cedillo's idea?