City committee reviews street-vendor outreach plan, hears complaints about enforcement, staffing and lighting

The Los Angeles City Council committee heard a presentation on the Office of Street Services’ street-vendor program and questioned staff about outreach, permit access and enforcement practices, while several public commenters raised related concerns about lighting, sidewalks and public safety.

The committee’s Office of Street Services staff reported that the office has issued 432 permits for merchandise vendors and 31 permits for food vendors and described an outreach effort that will include updated educational materials and translations. “Les proporcionaron cuarenta mil dólares para actualizar los materiales educacionales para alcance y también servicios de traducción,” a staff member said during the presentation. Staff also said a planned RFQ and contract would total "cincuenta y cinco mil" dollars, which staff described as covering outreach and the contract work.

The report summarized enforcement steps the office uses when complaints arrive: verbal warnings followed by written warnings and, if the violation continues, citation. Staff said the City Attorney’s office may pursue further action. Committee members asked staff for counts and maps of 311 complaints by council district; staff acknowledged the department does not yet have a district-level complaint map and said they would pull complaint totals from the 311 system to create one. Staff reported that, since 2024, they have received thousands of complaints related to vendors and gave aggregate counts during the presentation (staff quoted both “more than ten thousand” complaints for a particular violation category and separate fiscal-year totals described in the presentation). The office also reported having issued several hundred written admonishments.

Public commenters connected vendor issues to broader neighborhood problems. One resident said dark streets and broken sidewalks make her feel unsafe walking or taking transit at night. Another speaker who identified himself as James Okasaki spoke in favor of a community-supported sign for Koraku restaurant in Little Tokyo (a separate agenda item). Mary Galockridge, introduced as a small-business coordinator, urged support for the restaurant’s 50th-anniversary recognition and for measures to sustain small, long-standing businesses in Little Tokyo.

Committee members pressed staff on several operational points: the timeline and languages for printed materials (staff said translated materials would be produced in about six languages in the coming weeks, pending contract administration and available funds); how the city will help vendors comply with county public-health permit requirements (staff said the county health department issues health permits and the City cannot grant or waive those permits, but the city can provide outreach and navigation support); and whether culturally competent outreach workers would be used (staff said they plan to use community-based outreach workers and to compile a list of qualified contractors through an RFQ process).

Members also asked about ADA complaints and the department’s staffing levels; staff acknowledged vacancies have limited enforcement capacity and said that outreach, training and an RFQ to contract with community organizations are part of the planned response. The office said it has allocated $40,000 for updated educational materials and translation and that a separate RFQ/contract is anticipated in the range the staff described as $55,000 to cover outreach and contract administration.

The committee received the report for information and discussed next steps, including producing a district-level complaint map from 311 data, convening more meetings with stakeholders, coordinating with the county health department on permit navigation, and using culturally competent outreach contractors. Several councilmembers and staff said they would follow up with district offices and with the Office of Street Services to accelerate the outreach and to clarify the RFQ timeline.

The presentation and discussion made clear the department is prioritizing outreach and education rather than immediate large-scale enforcement: staff repeatedly described the initial approach as education and progressive warnings before citations. Members and public commenters pressed for clearer timelines, a district complaint map, and more staffing to carry out enforcement and outreach work.

Looking ahead, staff said they will return with outreach products and with any RFQ results or contract terms once the procurement process is completed.