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Board orders six-month, multi-agency task force to tackle unlawful roadside vending and food-safety risks
Summary
Facing widespread unlawful roadside and sidewalk vending, the board directed creation of a time-limited, CEO-anchored task force to coordinate enforcement, impoundment logistics and outreach after staff documented unsafe food-handling and enforcement limits under state law.
The Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors on March 4 directed staff to form a six-month, multi-agency task force to address unlawful roadside and sidewalk vending, calling for coordinated enforcement, seizure/storage planning and community outreach to reduce public-health and safety risks.
Supervisor Hartman brought the item, describing recent state law changes (SB 946 and SB 972) that decriminalized some vending activity and made local enforcement more difficult. Gina Fisher and Environmental Health Services (EHS) staff presented temperature reading evidence and photographs showing unsafe food storage and preparation, and explained that state rules now limit local authorities' tools, such as issuing criminal penalties or obtaining vendor identification: inspectors may encounter refusals to sign civil citations and vendors who return to the same location after citations are issued.
EHS staff reported 137 notices of violation since January and 11 impounds of unsafe food so far; EHS described constraints including limited freezer/storage capacity and legal processes that require holding seized food pending hearings. Board members and the district attorney—s office urged a coordinated approach: possible tools cited included seizures, equipment impoundment, multi-jurisdictional enforcement with CHP on state highways, and creation of storage capacity (e.g., refrigerated trailers/C-trains) to make impoundment an effective deterrent.
Public commenters included restaurant owners and local business associations who said unpermitted vendors undercut permitted businesses and posed food-safety hazards; some community members described intimidation and unsafe operations. The district attorney—s office said criminal and civil remedies exist but noted prosecution requires identifying responsible parties and linking operations to umbrella entities; that evidentiary challenge bolsters the case for a coordinated task force.
The board agreed on a time-limited task force anchored in the CEO's office, to bring agencies together (EHS, sheriff, CHP, Caltrans, city partners, DA's office, and likely other jurisdictions) and return within six months with recommended operational steps, cost estimates for storage/impoundment, and legal strategies including possible legislative outreach. The motion was adopted with board support.
Board members emphasized enforcement over new rules: several supervisors said they prefer directing existing authorities and resources to enforcement rather than layering more regulations.
Next steps: the CEO—s office will coordinate members, the task force will identify short-term operational actions (including potential refrigeration capacity for seized food) and report back with recommendations and any funding requests.
