Describing a well-organized “cartel system” that follows food inspectors from their Alhambra offices and warns of investigations, L.A. County liaison Stephanie English announced a public meeting Thursday at the Castaic Library in order “to discuss the food vendors.”
English, a field representative for L.A. County 5th District Supervisor Kathryn Barger made the announcement during Tuesday’s virtual Castaic Area Town Council meeting and said the meeting with L.A. County Public Health was in response to numerous concerns from business owners.
“A lot of the businesses down there (on Castaic Road) are really having struggles with the food vendors, and they’ve been reaching out to our office for quite some time,” English said. “So, we’re going to try to address some of those issues and provide a lot of education, hopefully.”
L.A. County adopted its first-ever sidewalk vending program in February 2024, which became effective Aug. 5, through the county’s Department of Economic Opportunity.
The county’s program was created in response to a 2019 law, Senate Bill 946, Safe Sidewalk Vending Act, which was meant to “decriminalize street vending” and also encourage local governments like the county to make guidelines to formalize the sidewalk vending industry.
“It had great intentions behind it, but the unintended consequences, unfortunately, opened up a can of worms for a lot of food vendors and food trucks to operate illegally or unpermitted,” English said.
English said the county’s framework, which has separate regulations for motorized vendors versus street carts, has created confusion on what is and is not allowed.
She also said one of those “unintended consequences” of the decriminalization is “it’s put the pressure on local Public Health agencies to go ‘enforce vendors.’”
In addition to opposition from “very organized operations,” English said, when health inspectors do arrive at a potential violation, even when they are able to remove food, there’s little repercussion.
The vendors often claim to not have identification, she said, and even if they are cited, it’s a misdemeanor, “So it has no ‘teeth’ to it,” she said of the street-vending law.
She also said no food or health department could keep up with the situation the way it is now: She likened it to county health inspectors playing “whack-a-mole” to stop a cartel supported by sophisticated operations that just replace any food when it’s confiscated.
“And, understandably, the business owners are frustrated that they have to pay Health Department taxes, and state taxes, and licensing, and then people show up and place themselves right in front of their restaurant,” she said, “and they’re losing substantial business.”
The latest enforcement efforts are going after the food-manufacturing operations that are supplying the vendors, she added.
Advocates for the mobile sellers, such as California Street Vendors, argue that their members provide access to healthy eating options and have been prevented from fully taking part in the licensing process due to outdated requirements in the state’s enforcement codes.
“Sidewalk food vending is essential to California’s economy, culture and health. Sidewalk food vending allows low-income and immigrant workers, often excluded from other opportunities, to make a living and provide for their families, while building a successful business,” according to the California Street Vendors website. “Sidewalk food vendors provide healthy food in neighborhoods that lack access to healthy food retail, and they contribute mightily to our local economies.”
A representative for the organization did not immediately respond to a request for comment Monday.
Thursday’s talk will be aimed at businesses but the subject will be street vending in general, English said.
Representatives of the Sheriff’s Department and California Highway Patrol are also expected to be at the meeting.
The offices of Assemblywoman Pilar Schiavo, D-Chatsworth, and Sen. Suzette Valladares, R-Acton, also were invited, English said.
Neither office was immediately available to respond to a request for comment about the story Monday.
The meeting is scheduled for 10:30 a.m. Thursday at the Castaic Library, which is located at 27971 Sloan Canyon Road.
