Nearly 10,000 street vendors who operate in the city of Los Angeles were affected by the passing of Senate Bill 972. The new law aims to update regulations making it easier for street vendors to operate safely and under the law.
Updates include lowering the cost of permit fees, code-compliant vending carts and giving vendors access to kitchen infrastructure to support department-approved food preparation and storage.
For Merced Sanchez, a vendor in the Piñata District, obtaining a health permit equates to peace of mind that she will not be harassed by the police as she had previously experienced.
Sanchez, who has been a street vendor for nearly twenty years, recalled an instance in 2010 when police threw her goods in the trash can.
“They took everything – tables, shade covers, they would not leave anything other than trash if we had any,” Sanchez said. “When I asked police to leave my goods, they would respond, ‘I don’t care.’”
Vendors like Sanchez had to endure harsh treatment and harassment from the police. Selling goods to support their families was considered a crime.
SB 972, which was created by street vendors for street vendors, was presented by Long Beach Sen. Lena Gonzalez after her district saw an increase in street food vending. Organizations such as Inclusive Action for the city have been key advocates in organizing policy change for street vendors — SB 972 is a momentous stride for all street vendors.
Specifically, the new bill updates the California Retail Food Code (CRFC). The CRFC, which provides statewide health and sanitation standards for food facilities, adopted its standards when sidewalk vending was banned – this meant CRFC had regulations that proved almost impossible for street vendors to follow.
Although sidewalk vending was legalized in California in 2018 through SB 946, the route to obtaining a permit was nearly inaccessible – meaning many vendors were operating without permits leading to more encounters with the police.
Illogical rules were embedded within SB 946. For example, vendors were required to pay $1500 for a permit and carry over 250 pounds of water.
In 2016, Los Angeles decriminalized street vending and in 2018, it was legalized. Decriminalization means that criminal penalties attributed to an act (street vending) are no longer in effect. Legalization is the process of making a particular action legal.
With street vending not only being legal but also accessible, community members like Rajyk Bhala and Marcus Ruiz are able to continue supporting street vendors.
Bhala, a USC sophomore majoring in Spanish and health and human sciences, said he prefers to purchase fruits from a vendor rather than at a grocery store.
“When I wanted fruit one day, my original thought was to go to Trader Joes and buy a bowl of fruit but I saw a vendor cutting fruit,” Bhala said. “I would rather have my money go to a street vendor rather than a big corporation like Trader Joes.”
Ruiz, a sophomore majoring in cognitive science, shared a similar sentiment.
“If I have the choice to give my money to someone who might need it a little more versus a big company, I’m going to totally give it to them,” Ruiz said. “I absolutely support street vendors, especially in a city like Los Angeles where so many of them are feeding Trojans and the community.”
On September 30, Los Angeles vendors will gather in Mariachi Plaza in Boyle Heights to celebrate the passing of the landmark decision of SB 972 — a win for California’s food history, entrepreneurs and street vendors.