Los Angeles City Council plans to request the state to facilitate the operation of street vendors in the city
The resolution seeks to help the operation of street vendors.
Photo: AGUSTIN PAULLIER / AFP / Getty Images
Los Angeles City Council is considering requesting the state to change the Code of California Retail Foods to expand to city street vendors and establish a practical system to regulate their operations .
Councilor Nithya Raman, who introduced the resolution on 28 September, stated that the amount of Food vendors in Los Angeles who have been granted permits (165 almost 10, 06 city estimates), says a lot about the prohibitive nature of current state and county food regulations .
That’s why our office is trying to solve this problem at its root.
My resolution calls on the State Legislature to reform the California Retail Food Code in ways that make health compliance more feasible for vendors without compromising food safety.
“As a result , our suppliers are forced to operate informally and face the threat of citations, fines and the confiscation of cars and merchandise that constitute their livelihood. We call on the state to enact structural solutions that can empower street food vendors to participate fully and formally in the economy, ”said Raman.
Proud to author a motion on supporting legislation to modernize the California Retail Food Code to create opportunities for sidewalk food vendors – essential to the economy, culture, and health of @ CountyofLA .
The resolution could be considered this Tuesday during the Los Angeles City Council meeting.
A report from the UCLA School of Law Community Economic Development clinic and the non-profit law firm Public Counsel revealed that, despite legislation enacted in 2018 in Los Angeles and California to legislate street vending, most of the people who engage in this activity are preyed upon every day by the threat of fines or are fined .
In the report it is mentioned that, to apply for a permit as a food vendor in Los Angeles County, the interested parties face procedures that can only be carried out in English and you must visit different offices and countless documentation of prerequisites; In addition, applicants do not receive adequate assistance during the process.
Since the city began issuing permits, in 2018, have only been delivered 165 . In the report, it is indicated that around 10, 06 people are engaged in this activity.
The report indicates that California Retail Food Code prohibits fruit carts and taco stands by not allowing fruit to be sliced, reheated or kept warm pre-prepared food in a closed food cart.
One of the authors of the report, Scott Cummings, UCLA Community Economic Development Clinic , stated that a problem arises from a network of state, county and city of Los Angeles laws that deprive street vendors from having access to permits to legally offer food , in addition to undermining the principles of food safety that the laws claim to protect.
The resolution presented by Raman asks the state to implement the recommendations of the UCLA report for make health compliance more feasible for street vendors by providing a streamlined process for food cart inspection and approval , include reasonable standards for slicing fruit , safely reheat and keep food warm, reduce sink requirements, and expand access to safe food preparation.
