Boyle Heights weighs a BID tax amid fears

Property owners in Boyle Heights’ Industrial Flats area near the 6th Street Bridge are pushing a five-year Business Improvement District funded by a BID tax to pay for private security, street cleaning and landscaping. Supporters say the city has failed to pro

For some residents in Boyle Heights, the fight over a proposed new tax isn’t abstract policy—it’s about who controls the streets where people live, work, and raise families.

Property owners in the neighborhood’s industrial corridor near the 6th Street Bridge are proposing a Business Improvement District. or BID. to fund private security. street cleaning and landscaping. The plan would cover an area stretching from 1st to 7th streets and between Mission Road. Clarence and Anderson streets—an industrial patch where sound stages. film studios and warehouses sit near the public housing complex of Pico Gardens and a residential neighborhood near Dolores Mission Church.

Proponents say the city hasn’t adequately provided services to keep the area clean and to protect employees. Opponents see something else: a blueprint that could reshape the neighborhood in ways that echo broader tensions in Boyle Heights. including fears about displacement and who benefits from development.

David DaCosta, of the 18-acre Ace*Mission Studios, is among the most visible supporters of the effort. At a meeting at Dolores Mission Church in May, he described the BID as a rare private-public partnership that, in his view, should be embraced.

“There’s a natural relationship between us all, a natural path for us all to want to work together,” DaCosta said.

But at the same meeting, the objections were just as firm.

To Elizabeth Blaney, with Union De Vecinos—a local branch of the Los Angeles Tenants Union—the BID would put decisions about shared space into the hands of businesses tied to the district.

“The BID would ‘put control of public space in the hands of those businesses who are part of the BID,’” Blaney said.

BID’s are self-funded associations that collect revenue through property taxes within a geographically defined area. In this case. the proposed BID encompasses more than 160 parcels owned by more than 70 property owners within the “flats” area adjacent to a series of railroad tracks. The proposed tax would apply only to commercial property owners within the industrial district—not residents of nearby apartments and single-family homes.

If approved, the Boyle Heights Industrial Flats BID would run for five years, from January 2027 to December 2031, and is projected to generate $6.9 million over that period, with about $1.2 million in its first year. If it moves forward, the BID would be managed by a nonprofit.

The funding plan is specific about what it would pay for: landscaping services. including weed removal throughout the proposed district; sanitation personnel to sweep up trash and litter from sidewalks and gutters seven days a week; and security services aimed at reducing “petty crime and vandalism. ” according to the BID plan.

Proponents also describe efforts to avoid the harshest consequences for unhoused people. The plan says they would work toward “minimizing the impact of unhoused individuals” within the district by collaborating with social services.

Beyond cleaning and patrols, the BID budget includes marketing efforts: website development and public relations campaigns meant to promote business and activities within the district.

Residents and community members have been split.

Margarita Amador, a Boyle Heights resident, said she sees the proposal as an opportunity for investment and improved daily life. She pointed to how the area has changed and said she doesn’t want to miss a chance for resources to come in.

“It’s a win when someone in the community wants to invest to improve our quality of life,” Amador said.

She grew up in the neighborhood during a period when gang violence was at its peak. “No one would want to come into that side of town,” Amador said. She said redevelopment and investment have made the neighborhood better, and added, “We’re not in a position to turn away dollars.”

Ana Hernandez, who lives in Pico Gardens, offered a different perspective.

Hernandez said the businesses in the industrial area host late-night events—including raves—that disrupt residents’ quality of life. She described complaints about loud parties and music running late into the night. and said residents’ dogs get scared and people have to shut their windows. according to neighbors.

“They don’t bring business for the community. What they want are earnings,” Hernandez said. “The ones who dominate the streets are people who are not from the community.”

Alfred Fraijo Jr., whose law firm Somos Group is helping with BID formation, said the proposal aims at “alternative modes” of creating public safety while acknowledging a painful history. At the May meeting, Fraijo acknowledged that communities like Boyle Heights have suffered from over-policing.

He argued that better lighting could make the area more inviting and walkable. “Having eyes on the street is a way to do it,” Fraijo said. “We want to partner with organizations that are already doing the good work [in] Boyle Heights, creating intersection safety for children crossing the street.”

Proponents say the BID would also address environmental harms affecting businesses and their tenants. Mark Borman of Bridge & Corner, which hosts film production in the area, described a pattern of illegal dumping and persistent damage.

“We suffer [from] illegal dumping, often of toxic materials,” Borman said at the May meeting. “There are zero actions, zero street services that we received. Our streets are not swept. Our buildings are tagged … on a daily basis. Our cars are broken into regularly.”

Borman said property owners call the city’s 311 system to no avail. “As a property business owner, I have tenants … who tell me that they do not feel safe going to their cars after work,” he said.

DaCosta also tied the BID to the practical challenge of recruiting and keeping employees. He said if the area feels unsafe, it becomes harder for his studios to hire.

“As an employer, if you employ people and they are driving early in the morning or they are working late … and if the area is not safe and secure, it’s difficult to recruit people, and it’s difficult to keep people,” DaCosta said. “Why would anyone want to come and work in an area that’s not safe?”

Some residents who live close to the proposed district were still catching up on what exactly the BID would mean.

Sylvia Sifuentes, 67, said she isn’t necessarily opposed to the idea but wants clear answers about how it would operate and whom it would affect. She has lived near Dolores Mission since she was born and only recently found out about the proposed district.

At first, Sifuentes said she incorrectly heard that homeowners like her would also be taxed. She questioned why a tax would be necessary because she noted the city already provides graffiti removal and trash pickup services. Her concerns reflect a broader uncertainty in communities that can feel like decisions are made around them, not with them.

Opposition is organized as well. Union De Vecinos has organized a petition opposing the BID, which organizers said has garnered more than 300 signatures. The petition argues that the BID could contribute to rising rents and parking congestion.

Blaney said her objection goes beyond the services themselves. She said the BID is problematic because property owners would be able to decide what happens in the neighborhood.

“They get to decide the aesthetics of the neighborhood,” Blaney said. “They get to decide who can hang out and at what hours on the street. They can hire security on bikes and cars that patrol and enforce and harass.”

The next step for the proposal is set for Tuesday, when it will go to the city’s Economic Development and Jobs Committee. If the BID is approved there, it would advance to the full City Council for consideration before ballots are sent to property owners within the district.

After about 45 days, the city will tally those votes, and the City Council will decide whether to formally establish the district.

The question now is whether the people who live near the proposed district see the BID as a long-missed fix—or the start of something that could change Boyle Heights faster than residents can adjust.

Boyle Heights BID gentrification street cleaning private security Los Angeles City Council Union De Vecinos Ace*Mission Studios Pico Gardens Dolores Mission Church Economic Development and Jobs Committee