A Los Angeles City Council committee today will consider potential rules for a legal street vending system that would allow the sale of wares and food on sidewalks and other public areas in the city of Los Angeles.
The proposed legalization of street vending has received support from a campaign advocating for vendors who currently operate illegally around the city, risking fines and other penalties. But the idea has also faced resistance from some groups representing brick-and-mortar businesses that want to limit the number of street vendors and where they can operate.
A San Fernando Valley area business chamber this week said this week it supports a cap on the number of permitted vendors. Stuart Waldman, president of the Valley Industry and Commerce Association, or VICA, said the City Council should consider placing “a reasonable limit on the number of permits given out,” pointing to New York, which only allows 3,000 street vendors.
VICA also wants vendors to get permission from the owners of the property or sidewalk where they plan to operate, which is similar to Portland’s street vending system, Waldman said.
The chamber’s support of these potential rules puts the organization at odds with the Los Angeles Street Vendor Campaign, which has been pushing for fewer limits and a citywide approach to legalizing street vending.
Mike Dennis, the campaign’s spokesman, said they oppose the idea of a cap because it could create a “black market” that would compete with the legal vendors. He said a similarly divided system was set up about 20 years ago and failed.
In that earlier street vending system, different areas needed to go through a long process to “opt in” to create a vending district. It only resulted in one district in the MacArthur Park area, and that district now no longer exists, Dennis said.
Dennis said some groups have mischaracterized the Street Vendor Campaign as wanting “blanket legalization with no rules or regulation.”
He said the campaign supports “common-sense restrictions,” with “citywide standards” such as rules for how closely a vendor could operate near a brick-and-mortar shop, or how much space must be left open on sidewalks for foot-traffic.
“We want to pass a policy that’s workable and reasonable for all parties, but taking into account the rights and the dignity of street vendors,” as well as the needs of storefront businesses and residents, Dennis said.
