COUNTYWIDE : Board to Vote on Food Booth Fee

The Ventura County Board of Supervisors is scheduled to decide Tuesday whether to waive a $42 permit fee for nonprofit organizations that want to operate food booths at county events.

Until December, nonprofit organizations that sold food at street fairs, festivals and other events were exempt from public health codes that required a county food inspection.

However, former Atty. Gen. John K. Van de Kamp ruled on Dec. 5 that such groups are not exempt from health and safety code requirements and are required to get county inspections.

Since that ruling, several nonprofit organizations have complained to the county, saying the fee for the inspection would inflict a financial hardship.

In response, county officials are recommending that the Board of Supervisors waive the $42 fee for any booth operated exclusively by a nonprofit organization at occasional events.

Booths would still be inspected by the county’s Environmental Health Division.