LACC Swap Meet Announces Important Correction to Recent Announcement
Clarification Issued Regarding Vendor Participation and Community Engagement
Los Angeles, CA, Jan. 05, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- LACC Swap Meet Sues City of Los Angeles for $30M+
Claims City Actions in Council District 13 Devastated Longtime Vendors and Funding for LACC Students
This release clarifies that the lawsuit is filed against the City of Los Angeles. Councilmember Hugo Soto-Martinez is referenced in the complaint but is not named as a defendant.
LACC Swap Meet Inc. (“LACC Swap Meet”), an open-air swap meet operating at 4133 Marathon Street in Los Angeles within Council District 13, announced today that it has filed a lawsuit in Los Angeles County Superior Court against the City of Los Angeles. The suit seeks damages believed to exceed $30 million, alleging that actions and omissions by the City, including conduct attributed to City officials and personnel in Council District 13, substantially interfered with LACC Swap Meet’s leasehold interest and business operations over an extended period of time.
LACC Swap Meet emphasized that the lawsuit is intended to protect the small businesses and street vendors who sell inside the Swap Meet—many of whom, LACC Swap Meet states, have operated there for decades. LACC Swap Meet contends that the City’s failure to enforce restrictions on sidewalk vending near swap meets and the City’s deliberate attempts to oust LACC Swap Meet allowed surrounding street vending to expand in a way that undercut lawful vendors operating inside the Swap Meet, creating a nuisance and unmanageable conditions in the area, forcing many to reduce sales or stop participating altogether.
According to the lawsuit, the alleged conduct includes the City’s failure to enforce restrictions on sidewalk vending near swap meets, denial of safety-related parking measures requested by the Los Angeles Fire Department, and other actions that LACC Swap Meet contends contributed to unsafe and unmanageable conditions impairing the Swap Meet’s ability to operate lawfully and safely.
“Despite repeated efforts to work with City offices to find a reasonable solution, we reached a point where legal action was our only option to protect the small businesses that operate within the Swap Meet,” said Phillip Dane, CEO and Co-Founder of LACC Swap Meet. “This lawsuit is about protecting the vendors who have built their livelihoods here for years and deserve a safe, lawful place to work. When outside vending is allowed to take over the surrounding blocks, our vendors get undercut, families lose income, and the community suffers.”
“I want to be clear: I’m not anti–street vendor—it’s the exact opposite,” said Dane. “Our vendors are street vendors. They’re small businesses who have sold here for decades, following the rules and obeying the law. This is about protecting lawful vendors and restoring basic safety and fairness for the community.”
LACC Swap Meet also cited broader community impacts, including public safety concerns in the surrounding neighborhood. LACC Swap Meet states that nearby residents have reported feeling unsafe and that vehicles have been vandalized, and that the conditions around the site have created ongoing disruption for the community.
LACC Swap Meet further emphasized the impact on the Los Angeles City College Foundation and the students it supports. LACC Swap Meet states that the Swap Meet historically generated over $500,000 annually paid directly to the Foundation, and that after street vending expanded across the surrounding blocks, revenue declined by more than 85%. LACC Swap Meet contends that this disruption drastically threatens and undermines funding and support for students, affecting a campus community of approximately 17,000 students, and jeopardizing initiatives such as Guardian Scholars, which supports current and former foster youth at Los Angeles City College.
The lawsuit asserts claims including alleged violations of the Federal Takings Clause, Article I, Section 19 of the California Constitution, interference with prospective economic advantage, interference with contractual relations, and private nuisance. LACC Swap Meet has demanded a jury trial.
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