After sitting on SB 972 for a couple of weeks, Governor Gavin Newsom has signed the bill that promises to greatly help all street food vending in California to become fully legal.
The news broke this afternoon via a press release from the Office of Governor Gavin Newsom. SB 972 was signed as part of a package, along with additional bills aimed at making California more equitable and inclusive, including one that aims to remove tuition fees for non-residents at community colleges (AB 1232) and another that will allow undocumented immigrants to receive identification cards from the DMV (AB 1766).
“California is expanding opportunity for everyone, regardless of immigration status,” said Governor Newsom in the announcement. “We’re a state of refuge–a majority-minority state, where 27 percent of us are immigrants. That’s why I’m proud to announce the signing of today’s bills to further support our immigrant community, which makes our state stronger every single day.”
SB 972 was written and pushed by Long Beach Senator Lena Gonzalez. Her district has recently had a boom in street food vending, from new vendors selling fried fish sandwiches on the beach's boardwalk to a boom of new street taquerías that have been popping up on intersections all over Long Beach in the last three months.