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From Mississippi to Los Angeles - Did you make the move officially?
Some details -
Early 30's, Black woman.
Lived in MS on/off for most of life but spent several years overseas, Texas, and Alaska (seriously)
Not married/Single.
I'm likely going into education. It's funny, when I was younger I always had dreams of living in or near LA, naturally a big place to escape from a small town. My family, really the matriarchs, don't see the value in it, especially now since stuff is super expensive and many, many bad things about LA that I don't feel the need to twist the knife in about.
Still, after a conversation with a potential employer that went REALLY GOOD, like they loved me, I might go for it.
I get it if I'm gonna get a buncha replies going, "Don't come here.", "Stay in Mississippi.", "Move to (ABC) instead.", I'll accept it as something unrealistic and honestly, a dream.
I moved here from a small town too, and the thing that surprised me most wasn't the cost or the traffic. It was how many people I met who were also the first in their family to leave. There's a whole network of transplants who get why you'd trade a safe predictable life for something messier.
If you're going into education, look at what districts are actually hiring and offering relocation support. LAUSD is the obvious one but Inglewood Unified and some of the smaller charters in the Crenshaw area have strong Black teacher communities. The pay isn't great anywhere in California for teachers, but the union protection is real and you can transfer between schools once you're in.
The matriarchs will come around when they see you have a lease and a paycheck. My mom was the same way until she visited and realized I wasn't living in a cardboard box under the 10 freeway.
ngl i was skeptical reading this but honestly? if the job is solid and you already got good vibes from them, that's a real foothold. a lot of people move here without anything lined up and that's where the horror stories come from
the "don't come here" crowd usually means "don't come here broke and without a plan". you'd have a job in education which is stable if underpaid, but you can make it work if you're smart about where you live. look at the south bay or parts of the valley for cheaper rent, not directly in LA proper
the matriarchs are gonna worry no matter what, that's part of the deal. but you've lived in alaska and overseas, you know how to adapt. LA is big and messy but there's a lot of black women educators here building community, you won't be alone in that
How can I find mobile hot dog vendors for a private event?
honestly the SGV has a ton of licensed cart operators who mostly do private stuff now. look up "hot dog cart catering San Gabriel Valley" on Yelp and you'll get a handful that are fully permitted, which matters if your venue needs a health permit on file. expect around $400 to $700 for a few hours plus a per person minimum, usually 50 or so. the ones based in Alhambra and Rosemead tend to be cheaper than Pasadena because they're not paying that rent.
fwiw the county health dept keeps a public list of permitted mobile food operators, its searchable by city on the LA County Public Health site. filter for "pushcart" or "MFF" and you'll get vendors cleared for SGV zip codes, which saves you the headache of a venue asking for paperwork later. also worth checking with the Old Town Monrovia or Alhambra farmers market folks, the carts there are usually booked solid but they know who's free and they'll pass along names. just dont wait till the last week, good ones book out 2 to 3 weeks in teh summer.
You could try hitting up the folks who set up outside Home Depot or the DMV in El Monte on weekends, a lot of those carts are owner operated and they'll do private gigs if you ask. Just walk up and grab a card, they usually have one taped to the cart.