The Los Angeles City Council directed staff Wednesday to explore the creation of exclusion zones for app-based delivery services, which one elected official said was necessary to address unsafe traffic behaviors.
In a 13-0 vote, council members requested the Department of Transportation with assistance from the City Attorney’s Office to draft an ordinance to establish exclusion zones and provide recommendations to pilot the initiative.
Council members Adrin Nazarian and Bob Blumenfield were absent during the vote.
“In my district and across the city, we’re seeing ghost kitchens pop up in areas that were not built to handle dozens and hundreds of vehicles coming in and out, idling in neighborhoods, causing nuisances, backing up traffic and creating unsafe conditions for people walking or driving around the area,” said Councilman Hugo Soto-Martinez, who introduced a motion May 20 calling for such a policy.
Soto-Martinez, who represents the 13th Council District, which encompasses the Hollywood area, emphasized that he supports small businesses and entrepreneurial spirit.
“This is simply a report we’re asking for,” Soto-Martinez added. “A report to look at how we can better manage a system that works for everyone — for restaurants, drivers, delivery companies, and most importantly, our residents.”
The councilman said these so-called “ghost kitchens” are coded as catering locations with hundreds of vehicles coming in and out daily, leading to drivers double parking, red-curb violations, and parking at bus stops, in intersections and in center turn lanes.
“This report will look at what technology we can use to maybe create a buffer zone around the ghost kitchens so that maybe folks can wait a few blocks away and not cause that congestion, and other ideas to see how we can try to find the balance between the small businesses and also our neighborhoods,” Soto-Martinez said.
The councilman added that his office receives complaints about them “every single day.”