Political Vendor Sets up on Via de la Paz

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The sidewalk vendor has a selection of political T-shirts.

A street vendor, with politically-themed T-shirts, hats and other memorabilia is selling on the sidewalk on Via de la Paz.

There have been several residents upset about not only selling on the sidewalk, but also his merchandize that includes T-shirts that feature President Joe Biden and former president Donald Trump.

CTN stopped by to chat with him on Friday, and he said business was booming. He hopes to have 120 stands stretching from San Diego to Sacramento running before the election.

He can legally operate on the sidewalk in Los Angeles because of recent vending laws passed by the State, County and City.

On September 17, 2018, former Governor Jerry Brown signed Senate Bill 946, also known as the Safe Sidewalk Vending Act. This law decriminalizes sidewalk vending in California and allows local authorities to adopt non-criminal laws. State Senator Ben Allen voted in favor of the bill when it passed in August 2018.

The County Supervisors passed the Sidewalk Vending Program this past February. That program includes $0 registration fees the first year and $100 renewals to ensure affordability, access to no- and low-cost Los Angeles County Department of Public Health (DPH)-compliant vending carts and other equipment.

Also that same day, the Los Angeles City Council voted to give vendors in the city significant relief from what would have been a $541 annual fee for permits to conduct business, and approved lowering their cost.

In a unanimous vote, City Council members requested the city attorney to prepare necessary ordinances to establish a $27.51 per-year permit fee for the city’s Sidewalk and Park Vending Program.

“I am so excited for this movement to support sidewalk vendors across Los Angeles,” Los Angeles City Councilmember Eunisses Hernandez said prior to the vote. She described street vendors as the “backbone” of local commerce.

The vendor selling the political merchandise in Pacific Palisades was aware of the recent laws passed and his rights. As long as there was sufficient access on the sidewalk and he has a permit, he is free to sell.

He said the most difficult place to set up was the City of Beverly Hills because that City has adopted ordinances in conjunction with the Senate Bill 946, which are restrictive about where vending stands can be placed. https://dcba.lacounty.gov/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/Beverly-Hills.pdf

Someone from the Palisades had called Code enforcement on this vendor, and a city official had stopped by. The official chatted with the vendor, who was not blocking the sidewalk, was not selling food and left.

If residents want the laws changed or updated, call the officials, which you probably voted for: Senator Ben Allen (310) 414-8190 or senator.allen@senate.ca.gov), Assemblymember Jacqui Irwin (805-370-0542, jeanette.sanchez@asm.ca.gov) and L.A. County Supervisor Lindsey Horvath (213-974-3333 thirddistrict@bos.lacounty.gov) or Traci Park and explain that although you understand the emotional draw to help people, officials are actually hurting the people who are paying salaries and driving the economy, especially since the state and Los Angeles are suffering huge deficits.

This sidewalk vendor was attracting a number of people, who stopped by to look.

(Editor’s note: I was told by a source that the sidewalk vending taco stand in the front of the library left, not because of residents’ complaints but supposedly it was a turf war.  The vendor  in front of Ralphs told them to get out because this was their territory.)

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