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Business owners urge Long Beach to act on unpermitted Shoreline vendors and restroom closures
Summary
Multiple business owners at the Dec. 17 council meeting urged the city to address unpermitted vendors on Shoreline and recurring restroom closures near Babagan restaurants and the aquarium, saying the activity harms businesses and creates sanitation and safety concerns.
Business owners and Shoreline district merchants urged the Long Beach City Council on Dec. 17 to take steps to address unpermitted vendors, crowding and repeated public restroom closures along the Shoreline area.
Speakers and concerns: Dale Dixon, a local small-business representative, described fights between food vendors, alleged threats including a vendor claiming to carry a gun, and reduced sanitation. "It's unsafe. It's not as sanitary down there anymore," Dixon said, and argued the presence of street vendors reduces business for brick-and-mortar restaurants that pay rent and insurance.
Another speaker, Lourdes (Spanish-language testimony), asked for help in the area between Hooters and the aquarium along Corning Way and Shoreline Drive. She said unpermitted vendors, ice-cream trucks and other mobile sellers have grown in number over the last three months, crowding curb space and obstructing 30-minute loading/unloading zones relied upon by local businesses and customers. She also raised repeated closures of public restrooms across from Babagan and said homeless encampments have used facilities, sometimes for extended periods when restrooms are closed.
Speakers asked the council for more consistent enforcement and solutions to protect businesses that pay rent and provide worker protections, citing a drop in business attributed to the vendor activity. One speaker said ticketing officers come but vendors return.
Council response and outcome: the comments were made during general public comment; the transcript does not record an immediate policy response or new enforcement measure announced at the meeting. Councilmembers acknowledged the comments during closing remarks and encouraged continued engagement in neighborhood events.
Why it matters: The Shoreline area is a high-traffic corridor for tourists and residents; unpermitted vending, blocked loading zones and restroom access affect small businesses, customer experience and public sanitation. City staff typically manages permitting, public-right-of-way encroachment and sanitation; business owners sought clearer enforcement and city action.
Clarifying details from testimony: - Location cited: Corning Way, Shoreline Drive between Hooters and the aquarium. - Loading/unloading zone duration cited: 30 minutes. - Vendors named by type: ice-cream trucks, taco stands, food vending trucks.
The transcript records the concerns and asks but does not record an immediate council directive or staff commitment during the Dec. 17 meeting.
