Santa Ana Council OKs New Street-Vendor Law

The City Council on Monday approved a new ordinance for street vendors that limits their hours of operation, requires them to wear uniforms and prohibits clanging bells.

The ordinance was approved 6 to 1, with Councilwoman Patricia A. McGuigan casting the dissenting vote.

The new regulations signaled a compromise between city officials who initially advocated banning the pushcarts and the vendors who depend on their sales to earn a living.

In a departure from previous council meetings on the issue that were filled with rancor and protest, Monday’s discussion of the new ordinance was low-key.

Vendors who previously had complained that the ordinance was a subtle form of discrimination because most of them are Latinos did not attend Monday’s meeting. Neighborhood-association representatives who had advocated tighter controls also were absent.

Instead, the new law was praised by several citizens who addressed the council.

Al Amezcua, an attorney representing the Santa Ana Street Vendors Assn., called the new regulations a “win-win” ordinance that satisfied the street vendors and those who opposed them.

Bill Chavez, chairman of the Frontier Valley Neighborhood Assn., said after the council’s vote that while residents favored a complete ban, “I believe (the new law) is better than nothing.”

The compromise allows only 222 permits to be issued to vendors, even though more than 300 vendors currently are licensed, with another 200 operating illegally, according to city staff estimates. Under the new ordinance, three lotteries will be held to award permits for the Civic Center area, 4th Street and the remainder of the city.

A city staff memo to the council stated that the neighborhood groups had complained about “the unsightly appearance of the carts, trash left behind by customers, the noise generated by the horns, bells, and yelling of the operators, as well as the unsanitary appearance and habits of some of the operations.”

Under the new law, permits can be revoked if vendors violate three or more requirements, and first-time offenders will be fined up to $125, depending on the offense.