San Mateo council hears limits of local power on street vending; directs staff to pursue modest enforcement changes and state engagement

San Mateo City Council members on Monday considered options for regulating street vending after a staff presentation detailed state laws that constrain local enforcement and described complaints from residents and businesses.

The presentation by Eugene Alper, code enforcement manager, and Kristen Ayu, senior code enforcement officer, explained that a combination of consumer demand, online discovery and state laws has contributed to a marked increase in sidewalk vendors, food trucks, trailers and home kitchens. “No matter which option you would choose, the result on the ground will be little change or no change at all,” Alper told the council, adding that any meaningful local change would require additional city resources.

The discussion matters because residents and nearby businesses said the vendors are creating safety, noise and sanitary problems in some neighborhoods and parks. Diane Whitaker, a 32-year resident of North Central San Mateo who lives near the Martin Luther King Park field, said a recently installed outdoor kitchen and parked truck operating nightly raised concerns about sight lines at a four-way stop and the ability of people using strollers or wheelchairs to pass on the sidewalk. “I am concerned that this outdoor kitchen and parked truck is violating assembly bill 413, the California daylighting law,” Whitaker said during public comment.

Staff told the council the city has limited enforcement…