Recent Streetsblog LA posts about Street Vending

Street vendors rallied to call for the cancellation of rents and for access to assistance one day after the Department of Public Health asked Angelenos to report vendors that did not appear to have permits or be practicing proper social distancing. The rally, it should be noted, was planned for May Day - not in response to the DPH briefing. But the continued stigmatization of vendors underscores how urgent it is that they be heard.

As Public Health Prepares for Vending Crackdown, Street Vendors Call for the Cancellation of Rents

By Sahra Sulaiman | May 1, 2020 | No Comments

Street vendors decry having been left to fend for themselves during a disaster, seek cash assistance, the cancellation of rents, and an end to criminalization

A low-res screengrab from a video posted to the Foos Gone Wild twitter account shows the moment a mugger jumps on the back of an elotera and puts her in a chokehold at 92nd and Figueroa.

Vending in the Time of Corona: an Elotera Who Can’t Afford to Stay Home is Attacked

By Sahra Sulaiman | Mar 31, 2020 | No Comments

Vendors across the city wonder how they will feed their families; a Street Vendor Emergency Fund aims to help

A street vendor on Whittier and Soto packs up his goods after being asked to move by LAPD. Image courtesy Antonio Mejías-Rentas

Boyle Heights Street Vendor’s Treatment Raises Concerns about Implementation of New Law

By Sahra Sulaiman | Feb 14, 2019 | No Comments

Instead of educating the business owner about the new law, a street vendor is asked to move

A sidewalk vendor feeds cyclists on Olympic Blvd. Sahra Sulaiman/Streetsblog L.A.

City Council Set to Approve Historic Sidewalk Vending Ordinance

By Sahra Sulaiman | Nov 28, 2018 | 1 Comment

"Por favor..." vendor Belén Ortiz implored the councilmembers, "Queremos salir de la sombra." (Please, we want to come out of the shadows.)

Bill Legalizing Sidewalk Vending Statewide Moves Through Legislature, Awaits Governor’s Signature

By Sahra Sulaiman | Aug 22, 2018 | 12 Comments

Using the hashtag “EloteJustice” and some maize emojis, Senator Ricardo Lara (D-Bell Gardens) announced on twitter Monday that S.B. 946 – the Safe Sidewalk Vending Act aimed at legalizing street vending statewide and allowing cities to establish permit programs governing the practice – had passed through the Assembly with bipartisan support. Tuesday night, he sent […]

A street vendor in the piñata district holds up two cochinitos. Should the vending ordinance pass as currently structured, the presence of vendors in areas like the piñata district could be significantly curtailed. Sahra Sulaiman/Streetsblog L.A.

Proposed Ordinance Treats Street Vendors as Streetscape Amenities Rather than Community Assets

By Sahra Sulaiman | Jul 25, 2018 | 1 Comment

The gentleman who sets up on the residential corner two blocks from my apartment is a neighborhood fixture. Under the proposed sidewalk vending ordinance making its way through city council, his fruit stand would be illegal.

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