THOUSAND OAKS : City Council Delays Curbs on Vendors
The Thousand Oaks City Council has postponed consideration of a crackdown on street vendors to give staff more time to study different options.
Councilwoman Jaime Zukowski urged staff to look into the possibility of restricting hawkers to designated districts. As proposed, the ordinance would merely ban them from intersections and medians and require them to obtain business licenses.
While he promised to evaluate Zukowski’s idea, City Atty. Mark Sellers emphasized that cities cannot legally ban vendors from operating. Any ordinance must be aimed at regulation, rather than outright restriction, Sellers said.
Hot dog vendor John Smiley waited until 1:30 a.m. to testify against a related proposal that would charge street peddlers rent when they set up shop on public streets. The council deferred action on that item.
“I have a catering permit and I pay my taxes as well as the next person,” Smiley said.
“I’m there from 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. and the customers love it.”
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