In the wake of the military occupation and nightly curfews in downtown Los Angeles, not only have hotels seen cancellations and steep declines in reservations, but restaurants are reporting losses of up to $100,000. It’s a dire situation for an industry that’s been battered for the past five years, first with the pandemic and most recently with the January wildfires.
Over the past week, 4,000 National Guard troops and 700 Marines have been deployed to Downtown LA in response to protests of sweeping immigration raids enacted by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. And despite a judge’s ruling this week that the deployment was illegal, an appeals court has allowed the troops to stay put for the time being.
One square mile of the neighborhood is under an 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. nightly curfew imposed by Mayor Karen Bass, who has given no indication when the curfew might end. And the instruction for restaurants in the area seems to be ever-changing: According to a hospitality advocacy group in Los Angeles, patrons can enter restaurants before 8 p.m. but are required to leave immediately after dining — and need to keep their receipts for proof.
https://www.sfgate.com/la/article/downtown-la-restaurant-losses-curfew-20374868.php