Volunteers ask council for weekly loading/parking permit to serve Skid Row; clerk says CD14 will follow up

Several volunteers with My Friends House Foundation used the public-comment period to request a regular loading and parking accommodation to support weekly humanitarian distribution on Skid Row. Speakers said the foundation has provided food, clothing and housing resources at 540 South San Pedro Street each Wednesday for 16–17 years and that volunteers face ticketing and harassment while unloading donations.

Carmela Higgins, who identified herself as speaking on behalf of My Friends House Foundation, asked the council for “a weekly parking and loading permit on Wednesdays from 11 to 2PM” to allow volunteers to unload clothing, shoes, housing resources and other essentials. A second speaker, who identified herself as a volunteer and named Marvelous, described repeated citations and asked for a “pass” or moratorium to allow volunteers to load and offload without enforcement during the established service window. A third speaker repeated the request and asked the council for a three-and-a-half-hour moratorium at the same address for the Wednesday distribution.

The city clerk acknowledged the comments and said the clerk’s office would notify Council District 14 staff. “We’ll try to get someone from CD 14 to talk to you,” the clerk said. The meeting transcript records the requests in public comment but does not show a formal council motion, referral, or vote to create a parking/loading permit or moratorium.

Clarifying details recorded in the public remarks show minor inconsistencies in the exact requested hours (two speakers requested 11:00 a.m.–2:00 p.m.; another requested 11:00 a.m.–2:30 p.m.). The clerk asked for the location and the speakers gave the address as 540 South San Pedro Street. No staff report, permit form, or enforcement waiver appears in the meeting record; follow-up would require action by the appropriate council district office and transportation/enforcement staff.