LOS ANGELES – Los Angeles City Council members have expressed support for a proposed ban on cashless businesses in the city during a press conference held earlier this week. The motion, put forward by councilwoman Heather Hutt, aims to be more inclusive of those without bank accounts or credit cards through empowering such individuals, making transactions less exclusionary and accessible to all residents regardless of their financial status.
Hutt explained that businesses which do not accept cash create an economy inaccessible for the city’s most vulnerable populations during her speech at Tuesday morning’s press conference. She added that this is particularly relevant as April comes to a close, recognizing it also being Sexual Assault Awareness Month, since electronic forms of payment can track victims attempting to escape from domestic violence situations when trying to flee such circumstances.
If approved by the council’s Trade, Travel and Tourism committee during its summer session, Los Angeles would join other cities including San Francisco, New York City, and Philadelphia which have already implemented similar bans on cashless businesses. Council members Hugo Soto-Martinez and Eunisses Hernandez also expressed their support for the motion alongside Hutt at Tuesday’s press conference along with Alberto Retana of Community Coalition – a grassroots organization advocating social justice, and Leslie Belt from Jenesse Center – an NGO working to prevent domestic violence.
Retana argued that going cashless in such economically thriving urban communities like LA can constitute financial repression which tends to exclude individuals who do not have access to credit or bank accounts – a form of economic suppression and social exclusion, implying these residents are somehow undeserving of participation within the city’s economy. Belt further highlighted that women and families without access to digital transactions leave themselves vulnerable as they become easily traceable by abusers who often control their financial resources in such cases when attempting escape from violent domestic circumstances – highlighting another relevant facet, given this week marks Sexual Assault Awareness Month’s conclusion.
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