LA Foodscapes: Strengthening a Post Pandemic Retail Food Economy

Explore local city and county initiatives supporting good food businesses and actionable steps to enhance both healthy food accessibility and local economic vitality. Join us for a town hall panel discussion with food journalists, labor organizations, and small food business owners.

Our Speakers:

(moderator) is a James Beard Award nominee and Eater Los Angeles reporter. This Pasadena native joined Eater LA in 2017, where she covers restaurants, bars, and hospitality throughout Southern California. Throughout her tenure, she expanded coverage to include statewide restaurant industry regulations, gentrification, the cannabis food industry, and local food politics from street vending to the plastic straw ban. She is also a regular contributor to KCRW's shows Greater LA and Good Food, where she discusses the latest food issues throughout the city.

’ dedication to doing what she feels is right, has positioned her as a leader of change in the industry, as evidenced by Eater’s recent selection of eleven upcoming in their 2021 “New Guard.” One of Valles’ first jobs was for Chef Walter Manzke at Petty Cash Taqueria where she was office manager. In 2015, Valles started a side hustle called, “The Bee-Keepers.” She connected with small businesses and would help them with their in-house financials and general operations. One of her clients was chef Wes Avila of Guerrilla Tacos. By January 2016, she had become an integral part of the concept, working part-time, but officially as his business partner. Guerrilla Tacos grew annual catering sales going from $21,000 annually to nearly $225,000 annually. She left Petty Cash to focus on Guerrilla Tacos full-time. Valles fundraised $1.8 million to open their first brick and mortar at the age of 23. When construction began in 2017, Valles oversaw the entire 4,600 sq ft build out while managing an increasingly busy food truck business. In July 2018, Guerrilla Tacos finally had a home with a full bar. In its first year, the restaurant grossed more than $3 million. Valles is a founding board member of the Independent Hospitality Coalition. In December 2020, she began working closely with a group of women restaurant owners and founded RE:Her. After the loss of a close friend to suicide, Brittney sought motivation and founded the High School 2 Hospitality, a non-profit organization dedicated to providing transition-age youth with professional support and a pathway to the hospitality industry. Her desire to maintain these services for local youth was the impetus behind opening Gogo’s Tacos. She developed, fundraised and opened the concept all within one year. Gogo’s Tacos offers street taco style food made with ingredients that have integrity for catering and private events. Additionally, they donate 20% of all net profits to support the foundation.

is the CEO of TMC Community Capital and a dedicated advocate for equitable access to capital and economic empowerment, particularly within communities of color, Latino, and African American populations. Raised in the vibrant cultural landscape of the Bay Area, Daniel's formative years were shaped by the resilience and ingenuity of his community, where informal and entrepreneurial endeavors played pivotal roles in sustaining livelihoods.

Drawing upon his cultural roots and a career trajectory in finance, Daniel embarked on a mission to bridge the gap in financial resources for underserved populations across the nation. With an unwavering commitment to social impact, he has spearheaded innovative programs and products aimed at democratizing access to responsible capital. Through his efforts, Daniel has facilitated the deployment of over $100 million in alternative micro-capital, collaborating with various banks and Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs).

is the Senior Director of Policy and Legal Strategy at Inclusive Action for the City, where he guides a coordinated strategy to transform unjust economic systems and advance equitable policy. Before joining Inclusive Action, Doug was the Director of Policy and Coalition Building at Public Counsel, where he led a team of movement lawyers supporting grassroots campaigns for housing and economic justice. In these roles, Doug has worked with coalitions to craft legal and policy strategies to legalize street vending across California, expand rent control and tenant protections, promote equitable land use planning, increase protections for community-serving small businesses, and create thousands of new affordable homes. Doug is also a Visiting Assistant Professor at Occidental College, where he teaches courses that explore the role of law and lawyers in social justice movements. Doug's writing promotes community-led advocacy and explores themes of community-centered policy design and systems change strategies, and his work has appeared in journals such as the Fordham Law Review, UCLA Law Review Discourse, and the Journal of Affordable Housing and Community Development Law, as well as the opinion sections of the LA Times and San Francisco Chronicle. Doug serves on the California Department of Insurance Curriculum Board, and from 2015 to 2020, Doug was appointed to the Los Angeles County Regional Planning Commission. Doug holds an M.A. in Urban and Regional Planning from UCLA School of Public Affairs and a J.D. from UCLA School of Law.

Event Venue

Guelaguetza Restaurant, 3014 West Olympic Boulevard, Los Angeles, United States