Nearly every other block in Los Angeles and the surrounding cities has street vendors. They sell everything, including fresh fruit, tacos, flowers, ice cream, and elotes. During the COVID-19 outbreak, they even kept us safe by selling masks. Yet despite being a common sight in Los Angeles County, vendors claim they frequently feel unnoticed.
California Senate Bill 946, which authorized sidewalk vending throughout the state, was enacted and signed into law almost five years ago. The laws’ accompanying regulations aimed to safeguard sellers while establishing street vending as a legal practice. Additionally, the legal process of vending was meant to be simplified. However, that isn’t the case.
Following the passage of SB 946, numerous localities established their own ordinances that included additional unique restrictions and regulations. The South Gate City Council held a special meeting on Monday, June 26th, to discuss the implementation of an ordinance that would crack down on street vendors. The new proposed ordinance regulations include but are not limited to:
• Provide proof of insurance of a minimum of $1,000,000.
• “Roaming Vendors,” those that use a push cart, are prohibited from 6 pm to 9 am of the subsequent day.
• Roaming Vendors can only stop for as long as it takes to conduct a transaction and must provide the city with a proposed route.
• Not stationary vendors are to be allowed in any city-owned park.
• No sidewalk vending within 100 feet of a city-owned park.
The South Gate City Council voted unanimously to approve the ordinance, but only after they got an earful from well-known activist, and street vendor advocate Edin Enamorado. He was joined by locals, social media bloggers, and community advocates who frequently participated in vendor buyouts and attended the meeting to speak up in favor of street vendors.
Enamorado and his cohorts, often criticized for their aggressive tactics, were removed from the council meeting, and the vote took place in empty city council chambers. The street vendor advocates then gathered at Vice Mayor Gil Hurtado’s residences at the Thunderbird Villa Mobile Home Park to voice their displeasure with the city council’s decision while shouting through megaphones and antagonizing police. The advocates also threatened to file a lawsuit against the city as they have done with the cities of Orange, El Monte, and Huntington Park.
On Tuesday, June 27th, the day after the controversial vote, the city canceled a scheduled “Coffee with a Cop” event out of an abundance of caution. The South Gate Junior Athletics Association also said, “Due to safety concerns, all games, practices, meetings, office and snack bar will be canceled and closed until further notice.”
The approved street vendor ordinance is set to go into effect on July 26th.
