Santa Barbara committee sends draft street‑vending rules to City Council after public comment and changes

The Santa Barbara City Ordinance Committee voted to send a draft ordinance regulating sales from vehicles and street vending to the full City Council after a discussion that included staff presentations, public comment and questions from committee members.

The ordinance draft would create a citywide regulatory framework for sales conducted from vehicles and on public streets, establishing time limits, siting rules and operational requirements aimed at addressing health-and-safety, traffic and neighborhood impacts. Committee members asked staff to add clarifications on lighting and strobe-sign rules, fire‑safety measures, the meaning of “adjacent” to parks and schools, and the possibility of designated curb or lot locations for food trucks before the Council considers the item.

City staff summarized the draft ordinance as centered on health-and-safety principles. Proposed provisions discussed by staff and committee members include a sales window limited to 7 a.m. to 10 p.m.; a four‑hour maximum continuous vending period with a requirement that vendors relocate at least 500 feet after that period; prohibition of vending adjacent to schools during school session; a ban on sales in city‑maintained parks and beaches; a requirement…