HUNTINGTON BEACH : Rules Are Tightened for Street Vendors

The City Council this week stiffened regulations for street vendors, mainly targeting merchants in the Oak View neighborhood.

The approved ordinance, the result of an accord between police officials and Oak View street vendors, limits merchants to selling between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. It also restricts vendors from parking their trucks, carts or wagons at one spot for more than 30 minutes at a time. After the 30 minutes are up, a vendor must move to a location at least 500 feet away.

The new law, which takes effect next month, also forbids merchants from running electrical cords across streets or sidewalks or selling on the street side of a vending truck. It also requires sellers to pick up all trash within 40 feet of their vending location, move any time a police officer believes a truck is posing a traffic hazard, and remove their stands from public property during non-vending hours.

Oak View vendors, who sell fresh produce and Mexican spices in the largely Latino neighborhood, initially opposed any restrictions. They eventually agreed to some limitations proposed by police, who say that some mobile merchants have caused loitering, litter and safety hazards in the area.

Before council members approved the law, three owners of convenience markets urged them to consider additional regulations.

Councilwoman Grace Winchell said the approved law will improve regulation of street vending, but “we didn’t get into the deeper question of whether we should allow them in general.”

Current ordinances allow vending trucks to sell their goods alongside beach snack stands and near mini-markets, said Ron Hagan, the city’s community services director.