David Brown, the owner of “Trumpucci,” a luxury brand known for its Trump-inspired merchandise, was arrested by Beverly Hills police for setting up a pop-up stand outside the Gucci store on Rodeo Drive, despite adhering to state laws governing sidewalk vending. Brown’s arrest has sparked concerns about Beverly Hills’ sidewalk vending ordinance, which appears to conflict with California’s Safe Sidewalk Vending Act.
Dubbed the “Wolf of Rodeo Drive” by local authorities, Brown has been running Trump-inspired sidewalk vending stands across Southern California since 2020. His latest venture, Trumpucci.com, offers high-end political merchandise, including $125 T-shirts, designer jeans, and custom “rapper bling” chains—a satirical twist on luxury branding.
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After applying for a sidewalk vending permit in 2022, Brown’s application was rejected under questionable circumstances, which he claims were part of an ongoing effort by the city to block his legal business operations.
“Beverly Hills enacted an illegal sidewalk vending ordinance back in 2019 that doesn’t comply with the Safe Sidewalk Vending Act,” said Brown. “Now they are once again trying to flout the state law and criminally prosecute me for a purely civil matter.”
Brown also alleges that Beverly Hills Mayor Lester Friedman was directly involved in his arrest. According to Brown, a police officer informed him that Mayor Friedman wanted him arrested and his Trumpucci stand seized, regardless of state decriminalization of sidewalk vending.
Despite spending $10,000 to build a vending cart compliant with the city’s rules and attending multiple city council meetings, Brown claims he has faced continuous obstruction. He argues that the city’s ordinance imposes impossible restrictions, including a mismeasurement of his site plans, leading to his permit’s denial.
“I applied for a sidewalk vending permit two years ago. I spent a hefty sum to build a cart that conformed with the city ordinance. I complied with every aspect of their absurd 80+ sidewalk vending restrictions. After all that, they mismeasured my site plans in order to reject my application,” Brown explained. “The city’s ordinance directly conflicts with the state law in a myriad of ways.”
Brown expressed frustration at what he sees as a violation of his civil rights and free speech, stating, “In Gavin Newsom’s California, memes are now crimes, and in my case, free speech is under direct attack.”
He likened his legal battle to a personal stand for justice, calling it his “January 6th,” and argued that the city is prioritizing corporate interests on Rodeo Drive over the rights of small businesses.
Under California’s Safe Sidewalk Vending Act, which decriminalizes sidewalk vending, enforcement is limited to civil penalties. However, Brown now faces criminal charges, raising questions about whether Beverly Hills is intentionally violating state law to suppress certain types of vendors.
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