Two Sidewalk Vending Ordinances Have Been Approved According to Los Angeles County

This week, the Board of Supervisors of Los Angeles County decided to adopt two ordinances and a resolution to recognize and encourage sidewalk vending as a viable business activity while also setting rules to guarantee public health, safety, and welfare. The board approved the ordinances and motion.

Upon the passage and subsequent signing into law of Senate Bills 946 and 972, parameters were established for the local regulation of sidewalk sellers. Additionally, the California Retail Food Code was updated to lessen the number of obstacles that stand in the way of sidewalk selling.

The Department of Public Health has enacted an ordinance that, by Senate Bill 972, modifies the County Code. These modifications include the establishment of a new norm for compact mobile food operations (CMFO) across the whole county, except for Pasadena, Long Beach, and Vernon, which have their public health departments. "mobile food operations" (CMFOs) refers to mobile establishments operating from a pushcart stand, display, pedal-driven cart, wagon, showcase, rack, or any other nonmotorized conveyance.

Moreover, it determines the necessary health permit fees that CMFOs must pay to comply with the regulations, which vary according to the type of food sold. There is a wide variety of fees, beginning at $309 for low-risk vendors who use prepackaged food and going up to $1,186 for high-risk vendors who prepare and serve hot food items like tacos and hot dogs. After the first year, the continued payments might run anywhere from $226 to $1,001 monthly.

Sidewalk Vending Ordinances and Great Opportunities

In the other ordinance, which the Department of Economic Opportunity is heading, the parameters of where, when, and how to vend in unincorporated parts of Los Angeles County are being established. The ordinance adds a registration charge of sixty-four dollars to cover the regulatory costs of issuing a Sidewalk Vending Registration Certificate.

The Department of Economic Opportunity will provide a subsidy of zero dollars for this for the first year of the program, and it is projected that the cost will increase to one hundred dollars in subsequent years.

Sidewalk vendors are increasing across my district, in vending areas such as East Los Angeles, and increasingly across the San Gabriel Valley, according to Supervisor Hilda Solis. These sellers provide access to food that spans a variety of cultures. Furthermore, this is one of the few ways that many communities of immigrants and people with low incomes can achieve financial independence and economic security. To achieve this goal, we must do everything we can to educate, empower, and encourage these sellers to enter the official economy because it is regulated. On the other hand, we know this will not occur if the financial barriers to entry remain excessively high.

A motion that was proposed by Supervisor Solis was passed by the Board of Supervisors to assist in subsidizing the permit fees that the Department of Public Health charges. This motion makes it possible for low-income vendors who reside in or sell their products in unincorporated regions of Los Angeles County to be eligible for a discount of 75% of their fees. 

As long as they have a net revenue of less than $50,000 yearly, are first-time applicants, and complete a workshop run by the Department of Economic Opportunity every two months in each Supervisorial District, vendors will have hundreds of dollars off their registration price waived.