Anaheim addresses illegal street vendors with new regulations

The City of Anaheim is considering proposals to update its current street vendor ordinance in response to the growing number of illegal vendors.

On Tuesday, the Anaheim City Council heard recommendations for the ordinance that went into effect in 2018 after the state decriminalized sidewalk vending. The biggest update they are considering is giving the city of Anaheim the ability to impound equipment or food on their own, instead of waiting for Orange County officials' assistance which has limited their enforcement in the past.

Anaheim has seen a significant increase in street vendors over the past several years, but nearly all of them are operating illegally.

According to a staff report by the city of Anaheim, there are only five flower vendors and zero food vendors that have sidewalk vendor permits in the city. Anaheim officials say this is a huge public safety concern.

“We have seen cases where raw meat is being left out in the sun, or it’s in an open cardboard box, left on the ground waiting to be cooked and then ultimately sold. We’ve had residents call us and tell us they bought food from a vendor and then a family member got very very sick,” said City of Anaheim Spokesperson Erin Ryan.

Anaheim City Council is considering recommendations that could include proper disposal of food waste, prohibiting vendor equipment from blocking sidewalks that violate ADA regulations, removing barriers to make it easier to obtain permits, and allowing the city of Anaheim to enforce code regulations without the guidance of the Orange County Health Department.

“The city’s ability to go out there and not rely on the healthcare agency to be available and go with us to do enforcement operations, we would have the ability to impound equipment or merchandise or throw away food which of course is the last thing we want to do but if we have to, we will have the ability to, so we can be out there doing proactive enforcement, “ said Ryan.

For street vendors like Angel Pineda’s family, his concern is the cost of running their vendors. A business license and vendor permit in Anaheim is $172 a year.

“It could be cheaper, like 170 bucks a year, sometimes we only make 50 bucks, in a day, and you expect us to pay 170,” said Angel Pineda, whose family operates street vendors.

Pineda’s family has a flower vendor and food vendor and doesn’t see the benefits of getting permits to operate their business.

“The flowers are important to my mom, and the food would be important to my dad, me and my dad like cooking, and we feel it should be shared with everyone,” said Pineda, “It’s difficult and tiring, but at the end of the day it’s a good thing to see people smile and see them happy whether its flowers or food.”

Last year the city of Anaheim issued 423 citations and impounded equipment for 174 vendors. If Anaheim City Council approves Tuesday’s proposals, the updates could go into effect around the end of March.