Anaheim officials are looking at strengthening its rules concerning sidewalk vendors, allowing officials to impound equipment if merchants violate city laws.
City officials say there’s been a significant increase in sidewalk vending over the last few years, and there are health and safety concerns. The proposed law the City Council is set to consider on Tuesday would give code enforcement officers the ability to impound equipment, including food carts or utensils, without needing to rely on county health inspectors, who enforce rules two days a week in Anaheim.
Vendors in the city are selling food, flowers, merchandise and cell phone services, typically seen setting up along busy roads throughout the city, in front of retailers and outside of Angel Stadium and the Honda Center following events. No sidewalk food vendors have obtained the required permit to legally operate in the city, and only about five flower vendors have gotten one, officials said.
Erin Ryan, a spokesperson for the city, said the city would use impounding as a last resort. Code enforcement officers issuing a citation would ask the vendor how much time they need to pack up their things and leave, and if they refuse, then their items would be impounded, Ryan said.
The city would hold the equipment for up to 90 days and it would be considered abandoned if left unclaimed, according to the proposed law.
Anaheim over the last year has increased the number of code enforcement officers tasked with handling the sidewalk vendors from two nights a week to now six, according to a staff report. The city in 2022 issued 141 citations and 423 in 2023.
Ryan said there’s a 36-inch requirement of accessible width on sidewalks and “oftentimes we see that space minimized when there are these sidewalk vendors.”
“A lot of this is focused on public health and safety,” Ryan said. “We want to make sure our sidewalks remain safe and accessible.”
Two times a week the city teams up with county…
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