Neighbor News
Vendors Unhappy With Law They Wrote and Lobbied For
Be careful what you ask for-you might get it!
Vendors unhappy with law they wrote and lobbied for
by Robert Lederman
As you can see from the 2 news articles below, exactly as predicted, the so-called
Street Vendor Modernization Act (Intro #1116), not only has not helped ANY vendor,
but it is clearly causing a lot of pain for the very vendors it was pretending to help.
Those getting the new food cart permits are not the undocumented immigrant vendors
who were tricked by SVP (The Street Vendor Project) into believing the vending law
they spent years lobbying for was going to allow them a new level of freedom.
The reality is that there is now more, not less enforcement against them; the BIDs
control vending, many food vendors are losing their cherished vending spots,
the permits are not going to the members of SVP, most are still renting their permits
illegally and the reality of added regulations and restrictions is finally becoming
clear to them. Every one of these developments was obviously going to be the result
of passing Intro #1116, written in part by the legal geniuses at the Street Vendor Project.
Find out what's happening in Chelseafor free with the latest updates from Patch.
In the only major lawsuit SVA ever engaged in, Mastrovincenzo v City of NY, they
managed to lose First Amendment rights for every jewelry, pottery, handmade furniture
and ethnic craft vendor in NYC. That Federal Court ruling eventually resulted in craft vendors
across the US losing their rights.
The sad story is playing out identically in California, where vendor "advocates" pressured elected
officials for years to open up vending. New, seeming liberal vending laws were passed in LA
and other California cities, but before they could even go into effect, added restrictions,
penalties and outright bans on vending in the most desirable locations were quickly added
making the new "freedom" a joke. Vendors who profitably operated illegally for years, but who are now
"legal" under the new laws, get more summonses now than they did previously; have far fewer
locations to vend in and face even more backlash from stores, landlords, residents and real
estate interests.
Find out what's happening in Chelseafor free with the latest updates from Patch.
The outcome was predictable. Getting in bed with the BIDs (Business Improvement Districts)
or expecting corrupt elected officials who get their campaign donations from real estate interests to
dramatically increase vending opportunities was delusional. Need one mention that it will still be
illegal to vend churros in the subway, to sell food from a shopping cart or to set up a stand on a
restricted street?
The moral of the story: Be careful what you ask for; you may get it -RL
City Late on Push to Expand Legal Food Cart Offerings With More Licenses
https://www.thecity.nyc/2022/7/13/23211658/city-late-on-push-to-expand-food-cart-licenses
Street vendors feeling left out and without choice in city’s first rollout of new food permits in 40 years
https://www.bxtimes.com/street-vendors-citys-new-food-permits/
Here's a small sample of how this same dynamic went down in California
Los Angeles Street Vendors Face Tougher Regulations, May Change Laws Statewide
L.A.’s sidewalk vendors have been hitting an obstacle: Legalizing their carts
https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2021-08-11/sidewalk-vendor-carts-requirements-legal
LA's Street Vendors Are Legal Now, But Will They Be Able To Afford It?
https://laist.com/news/food/las-street-vendors-are-legal-now-but-can-they-afford-it
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Original Version of the Street Vendor Modernization Act: an amazing example of corruption
https://patch.com/new-york/chelsea-ny/viveritos-golden-parachute