Last week, street vendors across Los Angeles added another historic win to their decades-long fight to legalize street vending throughout the entire city.
The victory comes after a lawsuit was filed in late 2022 by street vendors and local organizations, including Community Power Collective, Inclusive Action for The City, and the East L.A. Community Corporation, alleging that the anti-vending zones violated SB 946, a 2018 state law that had essentially legalized street vending.
“For over a decade, street vendors have organized to build a powerful movement for dignity and respect and to advocate for their rights and livelihoods,” said Sergio Jimenez, senior organizer with Community Power Collective. “This victory is a testament to their strength, bravery, and commitment to organizing toward justice. Thanks to the relentless efforts of organized street vendors, we are building a more vibrant, inclusive, and thriving Los Angeles.”
The no-vending zones stretched across eight popular L.A. destinations, including the Crypto.com Arena, Dodger Stadium, the Hollywood Walk of Fame, and the Hollywood Bowl. These are areas in which street vendors have long served tourists, event-goers, and their loyal communities.
Vendors like Merlin Alvarado, one of the plaintiffs in the lawsuit, understand firsthand how these restrictions can impact the livelihood of entrepreneurs like her. For the past nine years, she has sold bacon-wrapped hot dogs along Hollywood Boulevard, and in those years, she said she had been fined “two or three times a month.”
While the fines vary, hers were between $100 and $500, give or take. In January 2023 alone, she received more than 30 fines, she told L.A. TACO.
“California’s ‘Safe Sidewalk Vending Act’ is the law of the land and prevents cities from enacting vending regulations based solely on NIMBY complaints or economic animus,” said Ritu Mahajan Estes, directing attorney with Public Counsel, an organization offering pro bono law services to those in need. “Punitive and baseless vending restrictions not only fly in the face of our collective culture and California history, but they are unlawful, discriminatory, and harmful to our communities' health and well-being.”
Alvarado, one of many vendors at the forefront of the street vending movement in Los Angeles, has frequently been vocal about how traumatizing and stressful dealing with L.A.’s complicated legal vending system and enforcement has been. It has been proven to impact the mental health of street vendors.
In 2020, during the pandemic, she told L.A. TACO that her worst experiences were often with StreetsLA, formerly known as the Bureau of Street Services (BSS).
Alvarado remembers a day when she decided to stay on the street instead of packing her things and leaving once BSS showed up, saying it wouldn’t have made a difference. They are fined so often, she says, that most of the time, if BSS doesn’t ticket them on the spot, it will mail the fine to the vendor's home. That day, she received a $500 fine.
Fortunately, those days seem to be coming to an end.
“The bans are gone, and the vendors have been vindicated,” Alvarado said in Spanish at last week's gathering. “In addition to serving our customers, running our businesses, and providing for our families, we are ready to work with the City to make its sidewalk vending program as successful as possible. Street vending is one of our city’s great traditions and resources, and we look forward to being fully recognized for our role as community caretakers and contributors.”
It’s important to note that L.A. City Council did vote to eliminate “no-vending” zones earlier this February. However, vendors still pursued the lawsuit for fear that the “no vending zones” could be replaced with new prohibitions.
With assurances against that, they are now preparing for this new phase of street vending.
Vendors like Sandra Escalante, who vends outside the LACC Swapmeet, were delighted to hear the news. She and her peers have been following the lawsuit closely.
And rightfully so. She and other street vendors who sell outside a swap meet were exposed to alleged harassment from the new owner, who did not want them vending outside. Illegal “no parking” signs had been put up to prevent them from setting up their businesses, and even unpermitted boulders were placed on the sidewalk.
“We feel relieved,” she told L.A. TACO over the phone. “We really went through a rough patch for over a year because the owner said we did not belong near the swap meet, but all that is over now.”
While this is a big win for vendors, organizers hope their supporters understand there’s still more work. While the settlement is finalized, it still needs to be formally approved by the City Council and L.A. Mayor Karen Bass, which is expected sometime in August.
Vendors who receive citations for working in a no-vending zone can have them removed from their records and have their money refunded for any paid fines.
However, this does not include any other fines related to equipment restrictions or a lack of permits. It is solely intended for fines given for vending in a no-vending zone.
This also means that while vendors can’t be cited for vending in areas like the Hollywood Walk of Fame, they can still get cited for other city regulations.
As for how vendors may request their refunds, once the settlement is formally approved, the city will have 90 days to gather citations and identify those eligible for their refunds. Those who are eligible will more than likely receive a notice in the mail about the next steps. Or they will need to call the Citation Processing Center to initiate the refund process.
“This settlement sends a very clear message that arbitrary vending bans are illegal and untenable,” said Doug Smith, senior director of policy and legal strategy at Inclusive Action for the City. “Thanks to the advocacy of vendors and this legal victory, L.A.’s no vending zones are gone, citations are being wiped from vendors’ records, and fines are being refunded in full. Elsewhere, local governments are on notice that any discriminatory vending bans can and will be challenged and struck down.”
