Perhaps the most famous donkey in all Southern California, the life-sized stuffed burro in Olvera Street’s El Pueblo de Los Ángeles, which countless Angelenos and tourists from around the world have taken their photos with, is in danger of being evicted.  

Located at the entrance to what’s considered the birthplace of L.A., La Carreta at Placita Olvera, the small business that owns the burro, was founded in the late 1960’s by Jesus “Don Chuy” Hernandez and his wife Trancito “Tancho” Hernandez and has remained in the family since.  

During that time, visitors to Placita Olvera could get their photographs taken with the family’s pet donkey named Cirila. Later, the life-sized stuffed burro took its place.

Richard Hernandez, who now operates La Carreta at Placita Olvera, said he only recently learned that he was facing eviction.  

“Last Friday afternoon, the management came and told me that I was supposed to leave the premises on the 16 of May,” he told KTLA. “I don’t think the city attorney was aware of what this little carreta, this little business symbolizes for the city, for the Angelenos. People from all over the world have visited this little stand and now they want to take it away.”  

Hernandez said he plans to contact L.A. City Council about the possibility of saving the business that has been in his family for generations and asked Angelenos who love the burro to do the same.  

A petition to save La Carreta at Placita Olvera can be found here.

KTLA Photojournalist Phil Ige contributed to this report.

More roadwork will impact two Los Angeles freeways this week.

The California Department of Transportation will begin work on the 2 Freeway and 5 Freeway connector ramps starting Monday evening.

Caltrans says the overnight closures will be in effect for three evenings this week.

Here is the roadwork schedule for the project:

Monday night, May 13: Northbound State Route 2 connector to northbound I-5 closed 7 p.m. to 6 a.m.

Tuesday night, May 14: Northbound State Route 2 connector to northbound I-5 closed 7 p.m. to 6 a.m. & Southbound I-5 connector to Northbound State Route 2 closed 7 p.m. to 5 a.m.

Wednesday night, May 15: Southbound State Route 2 connector to southbound I-5 closed 11 p.m. to 5 a.m

Crews will be working on seismic retrofitting of the bridge and tunnel and replacing the metal beam guardrail.

The project is expected to be completed in either the winter of 2026 or 2027. Caltrans says the project’s total cost is an estimated $15.9 million.

Officials are asking drivers to plan for extra travel time while the closures are in effect.

Southern California fans of the most popular professional auto-racing organization in the U.S. may have to wait another year before it returns to the Southland.

According to a report from The Athletic this week, NASCAR is unlikely to return to Southern California in the upcoming 2025 season as the status on the construction on the previous stock car mainstay in the region remains in question.

The Auto Club Speedway, located just outside of Fontana in unincorporated San Bernardino County, last hosted a NASCAR Cup Series race in February 2023, when Kyle Busch won the Pala Casino 400. After that race, construction commenced to turn the track from a two-mile raceway into a short track, though updates on the project have been radio silent in the last year.

Reporting from the Los Angeles Times in February, just before the start of the current Cup Series season, indicated that officials still planned on constructing the short track in the Inland Empire, but the lack of a firm timeline leaves the future of Southern California racing up in the air.

“I would say that we are still planning on building a short track in Fontana,” said Steve Phelps, NASCAR president, according to the Times. “What the timing of that is, I don’t know. This isn’t the best time to be building based on inflation, the cost of capital, etc. But our intention is to continue to be in the Southern California market.”

That intention likely won’t come to fruition until 2026 at the earliest, according to The Athletic.

NASCAR had just one race in Southern California on the 2024 schedule: The Busch Light Clash at the Coliseum, which is a pre-season exhibition on a short track inside the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.

While successful, the event is unlikely to return to the coliseum in 2025 as the three-year contract has been completed and NASCAR is exploring options in other cities to host the annual event, The Athletic reported.

Reports indicated that NASCAR had interest in building a short track inside of Dodger Stadium, or even using the race course designed for the Long Beach Grand Prix, but sources told The Athletic that those options aren’t viable for 2025.