For Vendors in Santa Ana, Success Is 2-Way Street

Francisco Chavez reared six children on the meager income of a street vendor in one of Santa Ana’s poorest neighborhoods. It is a hardscrabble existence, competing with six other vendors to sell groceries and other items to the poor.

Chavez, 57, has parked his ancient panel truck on Minnie Street, between McFadden and East Wakeham avenues, every day for 14 years selling “produce, bread--everything but meat” to the mostly Latino residents of the rundown apartments that line the street.

But recently the city announced plans to make the street safer by making it one-way and introducing angle parking on both sides, threatening the livelihood of Chavez and the other vendors.

The problem, vendors say, is that their 20-foot-long trucks will not fit in the planned 16-foot-long parking spaces. City authorities have already said their trucks will be ticketed if parked improperly, Chavez said. Vehicles now park parallel on the street.

“Every one of us is afraid for the future,” said Chavez. “None of us have job skills. That’s why we’re here. We barely earn enough to eat. We are the working poor providing a service to the poor.”

On Thursday, while some residents purchased dish soap, vegetables and other items from the trucks, others stood patiently in a long line to accept bags of groceries passed out by a church group.

The vendors’ concern about losing their jobs is shared by their customers, who say the trucks are a convenience, especially for women who stay home all day and do not drive.

“There are stores on McFadden and [nearby] Standard. But I’m afraid to send my children because both streets are very busy. The trucks are a convenience. If you need an onion or nail polish you can just walk over and buy what you need,” said Celia Negrete.

Vendors will be affected by the new street design, acknowledges Carol Berg, a Santa Ana community development manager. But Berg and Victoria Zaragoza, a community activist who pushed for making Minnie Street one way, said street improvement is only one facet of a bigger plan to make the neighborhood safer for children and more attractive.

“It’s a safety issue. Cars drive too fast down the street. We have a high population density with lots and lots of children. We came to the city with this plan with safety and security in mind,” said Zaragoza, who has lived in one of the apartments for more than 20 years and heads a group active in the community.

Until Zaragoza and her group succeeded in getting a police substation and children’s learning center in one of the buildings, the Minnie Street apartments were rife with crime.

“We’re making headway. The community is becoming a better place to live,” Berg said.

The vendors acknowledged that gangs are no longer a problem. But just when they no longer have to worry about being robbed or having goods taken from their trucks, the street redesign threatens to close them down.

Chavez thought competition might drive him out of business, not the city.

Competition is brisk and most vendors say they clear only about $250 per week, working from 7 a.m. until 9:30 p.m. seven days a week.

Arturo Coicochea, 51, said he paid $350 for his vehicle’s tags, $156 for a city license and $196 for a county permit. A Santa Ana ordinance also requires vendors to park their trucks overnight in a commercial yard for $125 a month.

Coicochea watched as his granddaughter, Ilisabel, 4, carried a 12-pack of soda cans into the truck to restock a shelf.

“Here, everyone works. It’s a necessity, a fact of life, even for my granddaughter. We may not earn much, but we’re happy because we’re our own boss,” said Coicochea, who has been selling on Minnie Street for five years.

Norberto Nocelo, 22, has been a vendor for less than a year. He was just beginning to get established when he learned of the new parking plan for Minnie Street.

“I was starting to establish a regular group of customers,” said Nocelo. “Like everyone else here, I let them buy on credit. What store is going to sell someone an onion or detergent on credit?”

Nocelo, who is unmarried, said he uses part of the $150 he earns weekly to help support his mother and seven siblings in Puebla, Mexico.

The fear of losing a way of life was evident in the face of each vendor. None was confident of finding a job in the booming Southern California economy.

“I’m 57. Who’s going to hire me with no education?” said Chavez. “This business, it doesn’t make me rich. But it’s my daily bread.”

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Vendors Face Shutdown

Santa Ana officials plan to convert a stretch of Minnie Street from two-way to one-way traffic and add diagonal parking. Street vendors say they won’t be able to park their trucks in the planned parking spaces.

Source: Santa Ana Public Works Agency