Locals are furious after the park under the Hollywood Sign allegedly sees fruit vendors defecate and urinate before serving food.
Exclusive photos obtained by the California Post appear to show unpermitted fruit vendors defecating in bushes at Lake Hollywood Park before returning to slice and sell fresh fruit to customers, despite having no access to public bathrooms or handwashing facilities.
Obtained by CA Post
Obtained by CA Post
The images were provided by outraged residents who say they have spent years documenting vendors relieving themselves in the park, dumping wastewater into the street and leaving behind piles of trash while city officials have repeatedly failed to stop the growing operation.
“It’s disgusting,” longtime resident Cindy Cobb told The California Post.
“They go to the bathroom in the bushes… then they come back. Mind you, there’s no hand washing because there’s no bathroom. They’re urinating and defecating in a park space, and then they come back and cut fruit.”
The allegations come as health officials warn that fresh produce can become contaminated when handled by someone who has not properly washed their hands after using the restroom.
The parasite Cyclospora, which causes the intestinal illness cyclosporiasis, spreads when food or water is contaminated with human feces and has frequently been linked to fresh produce.
The CDC advises consumers to thoroughly wash fresh fruits and vegetables under clean running water before eating them, while noting that chemical disinfectants may not completely eliminate the parasite.
Lake Hollywood Park, the roughly two-acre park beneath the world-famous Hollywood Sign, attracts thousands of visitors each week.
Neighbors say not having bathrooms has created an ongoing sanitation problem.
They claim vendors routinely disappear into nearby bushes to relieve themselves, then return minutes later to prepare ready-to-eat fruit for tourists.
Residents say they have repeatedly reported the issue to the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, park rangers, the Bureau of Street Services, Mayor Karen Bass’ office and Councilmember Nithya Raman’s office.
When The California Post reviewed one of those complaints, there was a response from the county’s Department of Public Health stating: “Your complaint has been received and assigned to our Environmental Health Mobile Food Program. Due to the large volume of unpermitted sidewalk vending complaints, your complaint has been placed in the queue and will be addressed as soon as possible.”
“What we’re against is the city not enforcing its own ordinances,” Cobb said. “This is a public health issue.”
She said officials had opportunities to stop the problem before it escalated.
“The city had a chance to stop this years ago,” Cobb said. “Instead, it just kept growing.”
Residents also say vendors are dumping dirty wastewater into storm drains and streets, leaving behind fruit containers and plastic utensils, and creating fire hazards by cooking inside a designated Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone beneath the Hollywood Hills.
Scott Meyers, who is running for running for election to the U.S. House to represent California’s 30th Congressional District, and lives not too far from the park told The Post, “Thousands of unsuspecting customers, seeking refreshment in the dead of summer, order fruit, cut by the hands of food vendors, unregulated and free from any County Health inspection, who have just relieved themselves in the bushes in the perimeter of the park.
Mayoral candidate Nithya Raman, the “urban planner“ is fully aware of this and shrugs.”
Cobb also told The Post she believes many of the fruit carts are part of a larger operation rather than individual vendors.
She said trucks regularly drop off multiple carts each morning and return to collect them at night. She says she suspects some workers may be exploited.
“I think a lot of these people are trafficked to do the jobs. It’s not right.”
The California Post has reached out to the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, Mayor Karen Bass’ office and Councilmember Nithya Raman’s office for comment.
