STOCKTON — A sunny spring day usually translates into more sales for the dozens of street vendors around Stockton. But now, their business may soon be affected by new regulations and new charges.
“The ordinance is to fall in line with Senate Bill 946 and 972 so just to catch up to their guidelines when it comes to enforcement of street vendors,” Stockton Police Services Manager Almarosa Vargas said.
Monday, the Legislation and Environmental Committee of the city listened to the Stockton Police Neighborhood Services Division on how to remain in compliance with two state laws that might now compel vendors to abide by new regulations and pay new fees.
“It’s going to give them a place for licensing, so a way for our existing street vendors to get a license with some conditions, and on the other hand, balance the safety and the health of the community,” Vargas added.
Part of those new regulations are where they sell, operating hours, sanitation and food handling. It will also be asking vendors to obtain new permits which encompass a $60 use of public property fee.
Fines for breaking these new rules could range from $100 to $1,000.
The city wants to stress that they’re not anti-street vendors, but they just want to keep them and the community as a whole safe.
“The problem is that if we’re gonna have street vendors, then we need to ensure that they’re complying with the rules, the health regulations and the city’s rules,” Stockton City Council Member Michele Padilla said.
Among the most pressing issues for code enforcement and the city is traffic safety and the overall health of public parks.
“We need to ensure that everybody’s safe when it comes to traffic, everybody’s safe when it comes to public health, the food, and then we need to ensure that our city infrastructure is being maintained,” Padilla went on.
There was no action taken at Monday’s meeting.