LOS ANGELES : Street Vendor Ordinance Goes to Council for Vote
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A City Council committee has approved and forwarded to the full council a controversial ordinance designed to regulate street vending in Los Angeles by creating special zones where the vendors could operate legally.
The long-awaited measure now contains several new features, including a name change and an increase in the number of vending districts. It also instructs city officials to develop a strategy for enforcing the ordinance.
The proposal for the two-year pilot program was approved 2 to 1, with Public Works Committee members Richard Alarcon and Jackie Goldberg voting for it and Rita Walters against.
“It may not be a perfect solution, but it’s our best effort to a problem that is contentious in our community and is really causing a heightened level of animosity,” said Alarcon.
There are an estimated 5,000 sidewalk vendors operating illegally, or without business and health code permits, in Los Angeles. An estimated 10% to 20% of those would be granted permits and allowed to operate in the vending zones.
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