In the previous five years, he racked up about 100 citations, he said, and paid several hundred dollars that he hopes will be reimbursed as part of the pending lawsuit.
Last year, Ms. Soto’s husband began receiving weekly kidney dialysis, and Ms. Soto took some time off in March to recover from a hysterectomy. While she and her husband couldn’t work, a group of salespeople pooled her earnings and gave the couple $3,000 to help them make ends meet.
Although she has returned to work, Ms. Soto said there was a lack of business.
“After the pandemic, everything changed,” he said. “It’s not as easy as it was before. It’s the economy. Now it’s very slow. People complain about money, about the taxes they have to pay. “They don’t spend as much as they used to.”
She hasn’t earned $900 in a week since last summer, Ms. Soto said, and during one week last month she earned just $360 in five days. It’s hard to keep up with the $2,000-a-month rent on her one-bedroom apartment, she said.
Her 19-year-old son works at a nearby shoe store to help cover costs, she said, and may soon look for another job where he can work mornings before he starts selling hot dogs.
“The situation is very, very bad,” he said.
As a thick layer of seawater descended over the city, Mrs. Soto shone a light on her stroller and zipped up her hoodie. A four-wheeled food delivery robot, one of many that crisscross this part of Los Angeles, whizzed by.
It was a relatively quiet night in the heart of Hollywood, and after seven hours, Ms. Soto had finished her shift.
Your total for the day: $85. She hoped the next day would be better.
