Earlier this week the Public Works Committee of the Los Angeles City Council approved a framework for legalizing sidewalk vending.  This is an important and welcome step.   The details of how vending would be regulated remain to be worked out.   At the committee hearing some proposed limiting vendors to 2 per block face and requiring a vendor to get permission from the neighboring property owner.  Such requirements would risk make vendors second class business owners.

If I bought a storefront and proposed to open a retail store, the City would not say, “Sorry, we already have 2 retail stores on that block– we don’t want anymore.”  Nor would the City require me to get the permission of neighboring businesses before opening.   So why should the City require this of a would-be sidewalk vendor?  The City needs more business activity, not less.  Sidewalk vendors are already unfairly stigmatized.  Giving storefront business owners a veto over the right of someone else to set up a business– competing or not– is not good policy.  They may be tempted to veto vending for any number of reasons, or no reason at all.

This conversation will continue, as the Committee’s framework makes its way to the City Council and a draft ordinance is prepared.  One hopes that the City, having finally said “yes” to vending, will not abdicate its authority and allow someone else to say “no.”