City Of Anaheim Cracking Down On Unpermitted Street Vendors In Effort To Clean Streets
ANAHEIM (CBSLA) — In an effort to not be like the City of Los Angeles, Anaheim officials have begun to enforce street vendor operations within their city limits, cracking down on vendors who are operating without permits.
They're a fan favorite all over Southern California, as locals and tourists alike flock to food trucks and street vendors in nearly every major location to try local delicacies.
But since their sudden rise in popularity over recent years, and especially with their accessibility, cities have come under the realization that many of these operations are in fact operating illegally, without permits or proper facilities in place to function as a place of dining.
One of those patrons who weathered the cold weather and long lines Friday evening for some of his favorite food is Jesse Gomez. He understands the struggle that some of the business owners might be going through, especially with the drastic increase in property value and prices over the last year.
"It's just important because it might be hard for them to get a restaurant. They work hard, just like anybody else," he said.
City officials are concerned for the public's safety, especially since without a permit or the necessary inspections, it's not exactly clear how food is bought, stored or prepared.
The City of Anaheim partnered with the Orange County Health Care Agency starting in Oct. 2021, with the intention of cracking down on permit-less food vendors.
Code enforcers have made over 50 citations in that time span, for things like not cleanliness issues like not having hand-washing stations or public safety issues like leaving propane tanks in public spaces.
"We admire anyone out there trying to earn a living and the entrepreneurial spirit. The bottom line is, there's a right way to do it and there's a wrong way to do it," said Mike Lyster a spokesperson for the City of Anaheim. "Unfortunately what we're seeing, is there are legitimate health concerns."
The city has received dozens complaints over recent months from local restaurant owners as well, who are taking from their legitimately run businesses.
"For them to look at street vendors just coming around and doing business without any of those additional costs or safeguards, that's a legitimate issue of fairness," Lyster continued.
Officials are hopeful that the pilot program in place between Anaheim and the OCHCA will be a model for other cities who are dealing with similar issues.
Anaheim isn't the first city in Orange County to begin a crackdown on food vendors, following suit with Santa Ana who made similar moves in early February.
