Last Wednesday, the Los Angeles City Council voted 13-0 to legalize street vending in the city. The vote follows years of work, education, and pressure from street vending advocates, micro business organizations, and immigrant communities that pushed for authorities to recognize and enfranchise the nearly 50,000 vendors who operate in Los Angeles.
While street vending was made legal effective immediately, sidewalk regulations will come into effect on January 1, 2019. The city will also begin working on implementing a system to issue vending permits. Discussions and negotiations will be ongoing throughout 2019, and advocacy groups including the LA Street Vendor Campaign – which CAMEO members LURN are a part of – plan to be included in the dialogue.
According to LURN’s Rudy Espinoza,
“This is a major win for street vendors and the coalition that worked on this for nearly a decade. While there is still work to do to make sure that the permit system they develop is equitable and fair for these entrepreneurs, we should celebrate that many of the original items we were advocating for were passed.”
We couldn’t agree more. Here at CAMEO we want to congratulate LURN, the LA Street Vendor Campaign, and everyone else whose steadfast work made the passing of this ordinance possible. This is a win for immigrant and low-income entrepreneurs – for whom legalization and regulation mean job security, stability, and a recognition of the valuable service that street vendors have provided to LA residents for many, many years.