City Of L.A. Plans To Review Street Vendor Permit Prices

A City Council committee approved a motion this morning calling for a study of the annual fee vendors are required to pay for sidewalk and park vending permits, with consideration of the average annual income of vendors.

The motion was originally authored by Council members Nithya Raman, Curren Price, and Kevin De León in July 2022. It also directs city staff to develop an ordinance that would offer a reduced cost, approximately $291, for sidewalk vending operating permits until June 1.

Councilwoman Eunisses Hernandez, chair of the Neighborhoods and Community Enrichment Committee, introduced an amendment Wednesday to the motion to extend the reduced cost until the fee study is conducted and an agreed upon updated fee is adopted by City Council.

The fee study will not include costs related to enforcement of permitted sidewalk activities, according to the motion.

In September 2020, the city implemented a reduced cost permit fee of $291 in response to the economic impacts of the coronavirus pandemic on street vendors, according to the motion. The reduced cost fee expired on July 1, 2022, and the cost reverted to $541.

The motion revised by the committee today is aimed at reducing the financial burden for street vendors, whose average income is approximately $11,300 a year, according to a report by the Economic Roundtable, a nonprofit research organization based in Los Angeles.

The motion will next move to the full City Council.