There’s hardly been any piece of current legislation to be considered by the San Diego City Council that has been more anticipated than the city’s sidewalk vending rules.
After Wednesday’s meeting of the council’s Economic Development and Intergovernmental Relations Committee approved proposed regulations, there is a real sense of relief as the controversial issue is finally moving forward.
The draft rules are expected to go before the full council on March 1.
For Ocean Beach, the proposal would ban vendors only during the busy summer months — instead of possibly banning them year round — as well as in other beach areas and Balboa Park. And it would force vendors to be 500 feet from the OB Farmers Market as the regulations target vendor bans to main thoroughfares in some business districts, like Ocean Beach (and the Gaslamp, Little Italy). Vendors would be allowed to continue operating on the cross streets and side streets in those areas.
Another restricted area is Sports Arena Boulevard between Hancock Street and East Drive during events and game days
The proposed regulations lay out a permitting process and establish an enforcement scheme that takes enforcement away from the police.
Vendors are also banned from operating in certain parts of the city.
Areas with restrictions related to events, games, times and summer months:
- Balboa Park, Mission Bay Park, Presidio Park, Belmont Park and Shoreline Parks in the communities of Ocean Beach, Mission Beach, Pacific Beach and La Jolla during the Summer Moratorium
- Within 500 feet of farmer’s markets, special events, and swap meets
- Sports Arena Boulevard between Hancock Street and East Drive during events and game days
- Streets near the Convention Center during a convention or event
- 6th Avenue through 14th Street between Market Street, Harbor Drive and Commercial Street during events and game days
Areas not open to vendors:
- 4th, 5th and 6th streets between Broadway Avenue and Harbor Drive in downtown
- India Street between Ash Street and West Kalmia Street in Little Italy
- San Diego Avenue between Twiggs Street and Conde Street in Old Town
- Several blocks in East Village
Here is the proposed ordinance.
Street vending advocates celebrated two key points in the draft: the creation of “entrepreneurship zones” — designated areas for vending – and shifting enforcement of vending regulations to the city’s Code Enforcement Division and Park Rangers from police.
{ 7 comments… read them below or add one }
This does almost nothing to address the situation in OB. The OB park that is over run with “vendors” is just outside the 500 foot exclusion zone from the farmer’s market. They should make that 1000′.
Also noted the following: Sidewalk vendors shall not vend within 25 feet of any park decorative fountain, statue, monument, memorial, or art installation.
That would likely include veterans rock memorial, the lifeguard statue, and the mermen(?) neptune? whatever those are bordering the parking lot along Newport Ave.
And they need to be 100 feet apart from each other. There’s a lot to like in here if you’re tired of having public access to the sidewalk and grassy area usurped by daily vending.
Having a rare lunch out today, I was having a fish taco at South Beach and looking down on our park, with vendors scattered here and there, one of them spending some time talking with the police. What I thought would be a partial solution would be to permit them only on certain days – then on the days when they weren’t there, families could have picnics in the grassy area, or people like me could feel more comfortable waling around down by the ocean front. I wonder if this was considered.
You are being far too generous, they should be banned entirely!
Regarding Veteran’s plaza, grass areas would be offlimits.
The concrete along the seawall would be off limits.
The sidewalk along Abbott would be allowed, as long as 4′ width remains. Vendors are supposed to be spaced 25ft from each other (good luck enforcing that).
Sidewalks on Newport would be off limits in summer, and during Farmers Market. (About 100ft at the end of Newport would be allowed as it is >500ft from FM.)
It doesn’t matter too much though, the city says they’ll rely on Code Enforcement and the Park Ranger to enforce it. Anyone who’s dealt with either of these entities knows that’s a non-starter.
And they’ll probably fuck us anyways and declare Veteran’s Plaza as an “Entrepreneurship Zone” which would nullify the ordinance there.
What about homeless on side walls setting on sidewalks sea wall beach area selling drugs all day selling mushrooms drugs smoking joints smoking meth panhandling for money with animals. Why don’t you actually try regulating that BS going on in Ocean Beach. I personally know one of the street vendors up there and they are trying to dig themselves out of a hole they’ve gotten. Not because of drugs or alcohol or criminal activity it’s because they have no rental history and no money coming in because they got denied disability again. Now you expect them to go get a business license and a sales permit but you’re going to tell them after they get their business license. So basically you’re going to make them pay for a business license that you do have to pay for a business license in the state of. You also have to pass a background check which they can. And you also have to wait for 4 months for that that’s why they’re imposing the June 1st rule. The vendors go down right now and get a business license but I’m not business license come through they’re not going to be allowed to use that license until after Labor Day y’all need to be honest with these people. The CBD doesn’t need to be sold. They need to be. The homeless selling drugs and being deadbeats and panhandling and bombing money all day need to be regulated and you’re doing nothing to regulate. They can pan handle all day long would you rather have all the vendors holding up a sign saying out of work street vendor I need money because I can’t feed myself now. I personally know one of the Street vendors is not drawing a government check is not drawing food stamps and that street root vendor business is keeping them out of. By you posing the regulations on them you’re putting them in the system I hope you’re happy. And I hope you’re prepared to give him a place to live because when they have to pay for a business license and then you’re telling them they can’t sell there that woman is going to turn around and Sue Ocean Beach for discrimination. Because they’re not rich they don’t have the money to open a business here they don’t have money to live here because you don’t have affordable housing. A two bedroom one bath apartment goes for 10 times what they make in a month.
The state of California promotes entrepreneurship. With the business license and a resale permit there should not be any regulations stipulated on a street vendor. The state of California once taxes but you’re sitting there telling that vendor oh well you can’t sell here and you can’t sell it this time and you can’t sell here and you can’t do. The street vendor I’m speaking about talk to the Ocean Beach farmers market. It is a judged show no one has ever contacted these people about their contract. They filed paperwork to become vendors and was told that there was a long waiting list. That list will never be filled because you already have vendors. If you don’t want straight vendors then you need to expand the Ocean Beach farmers market and allow the street vendors to participate on Wednesday instead of telling them there is no room for them…… Or better yet charge them$25 a day to set up. If you can’t pay the $25 when you set up in the morning you don’t. Every single street vendor makes more than $100 a day and they are lying if they say they don’t. Because my friend has made 80 to 180 $200. She only set up 5-8 days before she got called out town on personal business. Average sales was 80 to 100 a day. At that right my friends could be off the street and into their own home within 6 months. Now by regulating them and telling them that they can’t sell here they can’t sell here they can’t sell here you are putting them in the welfare system and you are putting them in a homeless shelter. Which is creating more stress on an already broken system because they see what the homeless do here.