Curbs Against Noisy Vendors Get Initial OK

The city has declared a war of sorts against noisy vendors who have invaded the Oakview neighborhood.

A new citywide ordinance approved by council members this week bans the use of horns or loudspeakers to attract customers. It also restricts where mobile vendors can park and how long they can stay in the neighborhood.

“Some of these mobile vendors have established themselves as semi-permanent mini-marts, staying in the same location 24 hours a day for weeks at a time,” said Mel Kimmel, an Oakview Property Owners Assn. board member. “The mobile vendors have staked their claims to premium locations.”

The ordinance limits the hours of operation for vendors from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m., prohibits overnight parking and limits the amount of time a mobile vendor can conduct business at one location to 30 minutes. The vehicle must then be moved at least 100 feet.

The ordinance also prohibits pushcart vendors in the city.

Community Development Director Melanie S. Fallon said the ordinance was modeled after a similar Anaheim ordinance, which survived a court challenge.

“We are going to send [the ordinance] both in English and Spanish to all the food-vending operators that we know frequent Huntington Beach,” Fallon said. “We will also have a meeting if they would like to sit down and go over the particulars of this ordinance, so there is no misunderstanding.”

The ordinance will go before council members on Jan. 6 for a second reading and will go into effect 30 days later, if approved.