Street vendors have proliferated on Hollywood Boulevard while the city grapples with enforcement. (photo by Edwin Folven)

The city of Los Angeles is looking at new ways to regulate street vending on Hollywood Boulevard and provide pathways for vendors to obtain business permits and operate legally through a motion introduced on Oct. 20 by Los Angeles City Councilman Hugo Soto Martinez, 13th District, and Council president Paul Krekorian, 2nd District.

The motion, which will first be considered in the in the Civil Rights and Public Works committees before coming back to the full City Council, is a first step in removing no vending zones and creating areas where street vendors can legally sell goods and food, the city officials said.

After street vending was decriminalized in 2018 when former Gov. Jerry Brown signed Senate Bill 946, known as the Safe Sidewalk Vending Act, the Los Angeles City Council created no vending zones within 500 feet of tourist attractions including the Hollywood Walk of Fame, Hollywood Bowl, LA Live, Dodger Stadium, the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum and Exposition Park. The Community Power Collective and East Los Angeles Community Corporation filed a lawsuit against the city on behalf of street vendors. The lawsuit is still pending and a judge has prohibited the city from removing vendors from tourist sites until it is resolved.

In Hollywood, street vendors line the sidewalks daily near Hollywood and Highland. The Los Angeles Police Department generally only gets involved with enforcement if a vendor is disruptive, blocks the sidewalk or litters, said Sgt. Garrett Colley, of the Hollywood Division. He said officers issue administrative citations when problems occur that jeopardize public safety, and the city’s Bureau of Street Services issues citations for code violations, but otherwise the vendors are allowed to remain.

“It’s very gray. There is not a lot of clarity with the law,” Colley said. “SB 946 made street vending in the state of California legal. There is no crime per se, so the police department has to take a step back. We educate them and have flyers we give them on how to get a business license. If they are jeopardizing public safety, then we address it.”

The lack of clarity in street vending regulations is precisely why Soto-Martinez said he authored the motion and wants to create special vending zones.

“As the son of street vendors, I’ve seen firsthand how street vendors are the ultimate entrepreneurs, contributing so much cultural vibrancy to Los Angeles,” Soto-Martínez said. “The no-vending zone on Hollywood Boulevard targets immigrant street vendors who work so hard to provide for their families. These are the exact people we should be trying to support.”

“Street vendors, sensibly regulated, can play a vital role in the life of a vibrant commercial district,” Krekorian said. “Working with local business owners, stakeholders, and the vendors themselves, we can create a street vending plan for Hollywood Boulevard that honors and enriches this historic destination for visitors to our city, while providing a model for the rest of the city to follow.”

Soto-Martinez’s spokesman Nick Barnes Batista stressed that the motion only gets the process started, and the city wants to work with as many entities as possible in developing a plan for street vending.

“We are trying to set out objective alternatives to allow for some limited vending without the free for all that is occurring,” he said. “We are looking at best practices in cities around the world. We are looking to set up a better system so we can have them regulated.”

The Hollywood Chamber of Commerce, which oversees the Walk of Fame, said it plans to work with Soto-Martinez on the street vending issue.

“The Hollywood Chamber of Commerce is committed to a thriving business environment on Hollywood Boulevard that benefits those who work here, live here and visit here from near and far,” Hollywood Chamber of Commerce president and CEO Steve Nissen said. “We look forward to working with our City Council member to ensure a healthy, safe, diverse and successful street environment in Hollywood.”

The Hollywood Partnership, which administers the business improvement district in Hollywood, said representatives are eager to work with the city to find solutions on street vending.

“Hollywood’s high volume of foot traffic and concentration of event venues attracts vendors of all types to set up along the boulevard, despite the no street vending zone,” Hollywood Partnership president and CEO Kathleen Rawson said in a statement. “New legislation around this activity requires further discussion with the Hollywood community. The Hollywood Partnership looks forward to engaging in this all-important conversation.”

If the City Council motion is approved, Soto-Martinez plans to convene the city attorney, chief legislative analyst, community stakeholders, street vending advocacy organizations and street vendors to develop a collaborate plan to move forward.

“The process will likely take over a year,” Barnes Batista said. “We think we can come up with a way where some of these issues can be solved.”

The city will convene property owners, stakeholders, community members and vendors themselves to create a new system for street vending. (photo by Edwin Folven)