Planning commissioners press supervisors to act on unpermitted vending at 490 Salinas Road

The Monterey County Planning Commission on June 25 urged quicker action by the Board of Supervisors and county enforcement teams to address a growing concentration of unpermitted food vendors, catering trucks and swap‑meet activity at the railroad station near 490 Salinas Road in North Monterey County.

Commissioners said the activity — which Commissioner Mendoza described as expanding from “one catering truck” to several trucks and multiple vendors on weekends — is creating traffic and public‑health risks and appears to be worsening without sustained enforcement. “There must have been 40 cars out there,” Commissioner Mendoza said, adding that the site lacks restrooms and wash stations and that vendors are operating in an area not designed for heavy vehicle or pedestrian traffic. “The only way you’re gonna address that is throwing money at it,” she said.

Why it matters: commissioners framed the problem as both a public‑safety issue (traffic and fire risk during dry season) and an enforcement gap across departments. The Planning Commission does not directly control code enforcement resources; commissioners said the matter needs Board of Supervisors action to fund additional enforcement and improve interdepartmental coordination.

What the commission did: the panel amended and reactivated a prior referral (No. 24.8) on unpermitted food vendors, directed staff to follow up with Environmental Health and Code Compliance about the specific location at 490 Salinas Road, and asked that Environmental Health be scheduled to brief the Board of Supervisors. Planning staff told the commission Environmental Health staff were present at the meeting and would be flagged to follow up on the site and the referral. Commissioners Mendoza and Shaw, joined by Chair Gonzales, volunteered to draft a letter from the commission to the Board pressing for prompt action; the draft will be returned to the commission for formal consideration and a vote at a forthcoming meeting.

Discussion highlights: Commissioners described prior work dating to a February referral and said progress had been too slow. Commissioner Deal urged a faster timeline and proposed a formal commission letter to add weight to the request; staff advised that a single‑issue draft letter by a small group of commissioners is procedurally acceptable and can be placed on the next available agenda. Commissioner Shaw asked for a presentation by code enforcement so commissioners could better understand enforcement constraints, work schedules and contract limitations that affect response times; staff agreed to request that Environmental Health and Code Compliance present at a future meeting and to add an annual check‑in on enforcement as part of the referral.

Comments from staff and neighbors: staff confirmed the referral will be amended to track follow‑up on 490 Salinas Road specifically and to request that, if the site violates its underlying land use, a formal compliance inquiry be opened. The commission also discussed the limits of Planning’s authority and the need to involve the Board for resources and contract changes.

Next steps: staff will flag 490 Salinas Road with Environmental Health and Code Compliance and will schedule a department briefing to the Board of Supervisors when time allows. The commission’s small group (Mendoza, Shaw and Chair Gonzales) will produce a draft letter for the commission to consider at the next appropriate meeting. No formal vote of the full Board was taken at the June 25 meeting; the commission’s action is a referral and direction to staff rather than an enforceable order.