LA's lessons in decriminalizing street vending

2017-06-27T20:18:00-04:00

The decision was a long time coming for both immigrant- and small-business advocates, who for decades had been pushing for legalization, but the presidential election was a clear galvanizing factor. In L.A., a sanctuary city, the majority of vendors are Central American immigrants who, if they’re undocumented, could face deportation for a misdemeanor charge under President Trump.

Los Angeles was the last of the 10 largest American cities to decriminalize vending in February of 2017. There are, however, still many questions to resolve—finer points of vending, such as how much control neighborhoods will have over local vendors, the cost of permits, and staff to enforce them, among other concerns, have still not been determined.

The city's previous attempts at regulating street vending have failed due to not just business interests or safety, but also anti-immigrant sentiment. Another issue that was often raised by some council members in the 90's was the potential of alienating brick-and-mortar business owners, who unlike vendors, have to pay rent. The zoning regulations that followed those concerns attempted restricting vending to a single district—like MacArthur Park, which ultimately failed the program due to inefficiency.
The hope is those examples from Los Angeles' history will help shape a successful street vending policy that in the future might guide o...

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LA's lessons in decriminalizing street vending