Fresno City Council votes to consider amendments to sidewalk vending ordinance

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) — Emotions ran high at Fresno City Hall over proposed fees and rules for street vendors Thursday.

Street traders have asked for a delay in the introduction of the Pavement Vending Ordinance, which will introduce new rules for street vendors and food vendors across the city.

The ordinance stipulates that no vendor shall operate within 200 feet of a freeway or on-ramp, within 10 feet of another vendor on a sidewalk, within 100 feet of a residential building, or within 50 feet of the entrance or exit of any establishment that is operating with kitchen.

“This will impact all of us as mobile product providers. This will affect us negatively. We didn’t have enough time to really educate ourselves,” explained Miguel Lopez, president of the Mobile Grocery Association.

Rose is a street vendor who sells elotes and has been attacked multiple times, even while she was pregnant.

“Now we are hiding. When we leave the house to go sell, but we are scared. We are scared, afraid that we will be attacked; that something will happen to us. Something will happen. with the city,” said Rose.

Attacks and violence are a common reality for street vendors in the Valley.

In March 2021, Lorenzo Perez was shot and killed in broad daylight in east central Fresno. His senseless murder left behind a widow and a family of four.

“It’s not always a safe job. It’s not the highest paying job, but you do it to feed your family and it’s part of our economy,” said Fresno City Councilman Tyler Maxwell.

“Our job is to keep not only the city safe, but also our merchants,” added Interim Fresno Police Chief Mindey Casto.

A job that has increased in complexity in the Tower area.

“Make no mistake: the more resources are deployed to control large crowds during off-duty hours, the less able these officers will be to provide service to the rest of the city,” Casto said.

“It’s really disingenuous to me that they define the problem as street food vendors and not that there are drunk people in the Tower area,” said Genoveva Islas, founder and chief executive of Cultiva La Salud.

“So what is the real problem? A small business that makes $100 a day or maybe $450 a week, is that really the root of this problem?”

The City Council agreed to return to consider the ordinance at its Dec. 5 meeting with expected changes.

In the meantime, council members plan to meet with street vendors and law enforcement officials over the next few days to review the existing ordinance and propose new recommendations.

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