It’s a beautiful Saturday morning in South Central Los Angeles, when locals Marvin Valencia and Patricia Amador make a pit stop at the corner of 28th and Central Avenue for some steamy, protein-filled tamales from Susie’s Ricos Tamales stand.
“Hola, ¿cómo están? ¿Qué van a llevar hoy?” (“Hi, how are you? What will you be ordering today?”) Susie the owner of the stand says as she greets them and fixes three giant pots of tamales resting under her rainbow umbrella.
The stand is one of 16 local businesses in the area that the two creatives, along with their friend Erick Solis, have included in their new project, the Locals Only Passport to South Central.
The coupon-based booklet seeks to uplift local businesses that have been impacted by ongoing ICE raids, and it’s also their attempt to show the community all that their rinconcito (little corner) of L.A. has to offer. It’s a form of dismantling negative notions of a part of L.A. that they say is often overlooked and showcasing the people who make their city what it is.
“South Central isn't always represented in media; we only hear bad things, so we want to change that. We want to uplift the community; we want to circulate money within the community,” says 31-year-old Amador as she seeks refuge from the sun at Susie's stand. “Many people think they have to go out of South Central to enjoy good-quality food, good-quality anything, but with this passport, we hope it makes people realize that they have quality right here in these neighborhoods.”
Both Amador and Valencia have never been shy about showcasing pride and love for their city and community through their work. Valencia, along with his friend Solis, has documented local businesses and intersections in South Central through scenic aerial shots and short-form features published on their Instagram and TikTok accounts since 2021.
While Amador has worked closely with businesses as a graphic designer, she has most recently begun developing an app called Vendor Maps that highlights local street vendors in her area and makes it easy to find your nearest one.
“We had an idea similar to this for a year or so, but it never went past the idea [phase]. Then we attended one of the meetings she was having for her app, and during that meeting, we realized we were both trying to do the same thing, so we decided to work on it together,” Valencia says about creating the project.
After meeting with Amador both decided to join forces to create this project to help longstanding businesses in their neighborhood who have been struggling to stay afloat. The idea is to mobilize not just South Central’s existing community but folk from other parts of L.A. to come and support these businesses. The booklet itself offers special deals and provides short paragraphs describing each location's history as well as what they have to offer.
“It was a good collab; I couldn’t say no. I had the creative skills, and they had the network to make it, so I felt like it was a natural merge,” Amador says before choosing between a savory or sweet tamal.
All three of them have collaborated with local artists to design the passport, which includes information not just for restaurants and street vendors but also for other local businesses like skate shops, coffee shops, and sportswear businesses. The project launched back in April, and coupons included in the limited edition booklet will be valid until August 31.
The idea was not only to showcase their community but also to provide incentives to people who decide to visit these spots, picked out by locals. That’s when the coupons came in; some places offer a percentage off your order, while others offer special deals, and even free items.
At Susie’s, you can buy a dozen tamales for $30, plus you get two items for free, be it a drink or more tamales. The local vendor has been selling her tamales for the past 25 years and said, in the last year alone, business has declined due to the ongoing ICE raids. For her and many others, being included in these types of projects allows them an opportunity to grow their customer base.
According to a survey of Los Angeles County businesses conducted by Los Angeles County Department of Economic Opportunity and LAEDC, 82% of businesses suffered negative impacts due to immigration enforcement measures, and 44% reported losing more than half of their revenue.
“It’s nice that they’ve included me because it’s been tough; sales have dropped a lot since last year, and this really does help,” Susie says in Spanish as the morning sun occasionally hits the bedazzled Guess logo on her shirt, causing a light shimmer to be reflected on her hands while she prepares orders. “I just hope you like my tamales, but we’re here waiting to serve everyone with pleasure.”
As we make our way to a second location for some barbacoa de borrego, slow-cooked lamb, Valencia tells us a lot of what inspired their work was seeing how places they have frequented since they were children suddenly close, or have to worry about keeping their doors open due to the raids and growing prices. Places that he often goes to, like Cafe Calle or Birrieria Baldomero, a location he remembers because it was the first time he tried menudo.
“Based on conversations we've had, a lot of them have lost clientele, and people have been more scared than ever to go out and shop and walk the streets," he says. “And people often forget that for these businesses, this is everything for them; this is how they sustain their families, so they rely on the community's support to keep their doors open.”
Many businesses have expressed the same feeling, around 59% of business owners expressed concern about retaining their workforce; while 70% experienced staffing shortages following ICE raids, and 33% of owners stated that workers were afraid to show up for work, according to a survey released earlier this year.
For the owners of Barbacoa Estilo Toluca, who have a restaurant and food truck in South Central, the last year has tested them. As we sit with the son of the owners, Jovanni Ventura, he says that being a part of the project has helped them regain some of the traffic they lost following the raids.
“There was a weekend we had to completely close down because they were hitting this area hard,” he explains. “We’ve struggled; it's not like we have money coming in like crazy. We depend on each day's sales to pay our bills and our employees. So it's very important to support local because when you do, you are supporting more than one family.”
His family’s business has been open for over 20 years, and while it is not the first time that they have been through hardships, this time has been different than others. Beyond the raids, he is tired of the misconception that South Central has nothing to offer.
“People say South Central is the ghetto, or it's not the safest, but there are still so many beautiful places around here— there's so much diversity and culture,” he explains. “If you really come meet the community and meet the people and the businesses, you’ll find that there's so much love here and many people are very welcoming."
As we wait for Ventura to return with a plate of barbacoa tacos, Amador and Valencia tell us that anyone who comes here with their passport in hand can get 25% off their order. They recommend ordering tacos or ordering the barbacoa by the pound with a side of their hearty cosome (broth).
Both say that for now, those interested in visiting the location can access the full map on their Instagram, and those who want to get the incentives for each location can purchase a passport at locations like Toshi’s BBQ, Cafe Calle, Espressaria Cafe, and other locations.
While the booklet is currently in a physical form, they hope to eventually create an app that streamlines the process a bit more, where they can continue to add more locations.
“These places are all pillars to the community, and we don’t want them to disappear,” Valencia says. “We’re the generation that is taking over and is seeking to show the good sides of South Central because if we aren't going to do it, who is? L.A. is bigger than just Hollywood and Venice. South Central is arguably the heart of the city, and it's important to keep it alive.”
Follow @locals.only.passport to find all 16 locations.
This article was co-published with La Opinión, the leading Spanish-language news outlet in the U.S., and produced under the California Local News Fellowship program at the University of Berkeley.
