Change.org - La Gloria Foods

La Gloria Foods has been owned and operated by the Behar family for 67 years. Their tortilla factory provides products to Mexican restaurants and taco trucks across Los Angeles. But after surviving for seven decades, this family-run business is on the brink of being shut down. Through eminent domain, the city of LA has taken over one of the factories in which La Gloria has operated since its opening. After 6 years of negotiation, the city is offering La Gloria no relocation fees. Sign now to help the Behar family save their historic business. Please Help La Gloria Foods Stay in Business by Making the City of LA Pay What It Owes 4,778 have signed Cynthia Vera-Behar’s petition. Let’s get to 5,000!

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Please sign this petition to help save my family’s iconic Latino-owned tortillería, La Gloria Foods, from going out of business as the result of an unjust action by the City of Los Angeles Department of Public Works ("the City"). If you’ve ever eaten at a Mexican restaurant or taco truck in Los Angeles, or even nachos from one of LA’s local MLB stadiums, chances are you’ve eaten a La Gloria Foods product. We need your signature to show our elected officials and City decision makers that we stand firmly against this government injustice and support La Gloria. Legal background: Through eminent domain, the City has already taken (for public use) one of the Boyle Heights factories in which La Gloria has operated for 67 historic years. As part of this taking, the City is obligated by the Fifth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution to provide La Gloria with just compensation. To be clear, just compensation means to place the owner in the same relative position as if the taking did not occur. In the case of La Gloria, part of this compensation requires the City to pay us relocation fees to help move the factory’s tortilla-making equipment to a new location so that it can continue to do business. After six exhausting years of negotiations, the City recently made a ruthless power play and is reneging on its word. It is now offering La Gloria zero in relocation fees.  Without relocation fees, La Gloria’s existence is put in jeopardy, which would be a blow not only to my family’s legacy, but to our beloved community of Boyle Heights and to the larger Latino community of Los Angeles. We ask that you please sign this petition in support of La Gloria Foods’ upcoming September 10th hearing with the City. Your signature can help La Gloria receive the fair compensation it deserves. Let me share some background on La Gloria, and why this injustice runs so much deeper than money. It would be a loss not only for my family but for the community of Angelenos who have grown up on our products. La Gloria is one of the oldest-running tortillerías in Los Angeles. We represent a unique part of Los Angeles history. The Mexican people of Los Angeles first began buying tortillas in bulk from La Gloria back in 1954 when tortillas weren’t mainstream and couldn’t be found in supermarkets anywhere. Because of the scarcity of tortillas back then, Mexicans would drive from all over the greater Los Angeles area to buy our tortillas in bulk. They would go home and freeze them to use, as needed over months, for their everyday meals. For 67 years, our products--tortillas, chips, masa, and taco/tostada shells--have been part of family gatherings, holidays, and celebrations. Tens of thousands of people have grown up on La Gloria tortillas, and have continued to be loyal to our brand their entire lives. La Gloria has been called “a living museum” by the president of the Boyle Heights Historical Society. In the midst of recent events with the City, one La Gloria supporter commented that “this would not be happening if it were Canter’s Deli.” We absolutely believe there are elements of racial and economic discrimination that underlie the City’s actions. Next, let me describe why the City’s ruthless offer is specifically hurtful and offensive to my family. La Gloria was founded by my grandparents, Manuel and Antonia Behar, two immigrants from Mexico. When their three daughters (Maria, Lourdes, and Sylvia), who continue to run the company today, see that "zero offer" on the letter written to us by the City, they are brought literally to tears. They first-handedly witnessed the blood, sweat, and tears that their parents put into growing their company until their last day. They cannot accept that their parents’ life’s work, which has become their own life’s work-- 67 years of serving the community-- could be devalued by the City to zero.  The founding of La Gloria is an immigrant success story that exemplifies the American Dream. My grandparents started La Gloria in a small, one-room business space with only two employees: themselves. Their three daughters were ages 4-6 when it was founded, and grew up in the business. Despite not speaking any English, Manuel and Antonia put in endless hours of work, and over a couple of decades La Gloria grew exponentially, eventually occupying two separate factories. Together, they grew the business to the extent that their products began to be sold internationally, as distantly as Australia and South Korea, a reality which continues today. La Gloria continues to be a labor of love for the Behar family, who as a family now in its third generation, continues to operate the business. It is our family’s desire to continue to bring joy and togetherness to people through our food products.  With the passage of time, tortillas have become mainstream and La Gloria products are now enjoyed by all, regardless of race or ethnicity. As Mexicans, we proudly celebrate how tortillas are now used by different cultures in endless ways (think wraps and Korean tacos to name a couple).  La Gloria has weathered many obstacles throughout the nearly 7 decades it’s been in business: We’ve endured numerous economic recessions. We’ve made it past supermarket slotting fees, which forced us out of major retail stores that required payment for placing our product on their shelves. We’ve overcome the fierce competition of major corporate business competitors who joined the industry as tortillas became mainstream. We’ve survived the brutal COVID pandemic. Can we survive this eminent domain action against the City of Los Angeles? We believe we can, with your support. Please sign and support La Gloria Foods tortillería. Your signature can help La Gloria receive the fair compensation it deserves. For more information on our case, please read this Los Angeles Times article written by the very influential Gustavo Arellano, which has brought La Gloria valuable support.  LA Times article on La Gloria

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