Los Angeles gets closer to legalizing sidewalk vending.

You might not know it, but it is illegal to sell things on the sidewalk in Los Angeles.  A decades-old city ordinance makes selling from the sidewalk a misdemeanor.  Yet consumers crave sidewalk goods, whether it’s some sliced fruit to enjoy while waiting for the bus, or a hat embroidered by the vendor herself .  Vendors who serve this demand risk arrest.  Confiscation of property, fines, and jail time are bad enough.  But with a new administration arriving in Washington, DC, and the fact that many vendors are undocumented, vendors will soon also risk deportation.

That is, unless the city takes action to legalize sidewalk vending.  After several years of action by vendor activists and vendors themselves, the city is taking a step toward legalization.  On Monday, December 12, 2016, the city council’s Public Works and Gang Reduction Committee will consider a  framework for legalization of street vending in Los Angeles.  The proposed framework is not perfect, but it is a step in the right direction.  The time has come to take action.

A media advisory is attached.  lasvc-media-advisory-12-12-16