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Public Works: multiagency task force will support enhanced sidewalk vending enforcement under proposed local rules
Summary
Director Carla Short told the commission illegal sidewalk vending hotspots persist and that a proposed Board of Supervisors ordinance, informed by recent state law changes, would enable escalating penalties; Public Works said enforcement is a coordinated, multiagency effort with night operations and involvement by the Department of Public Health for food vendors.
Carla Short, Public Works Director, briefed commissioners on sidewalk vending enforcement and a pending local response to recent state law changes affecting vending.
"The vending enforcement is really a multi agency task force that works together," Short said, describing Public Works as the lead agency on merchandise vending with the Department of Public Health responsible for food-vending enforcement and law enforcement engaged under certain circumstances.
Short said the Board of Supervisors Public Safety and Neighborhood Services Committee is considering an ordinance to increase penalties for vending on city property or sidewalks without a permit. Under the proposal described in the presentation, enforcement would begin with a written warning, escalate to infractions for second and third violations within 18 months, and the fourth and subsequent violations within 18 months could be charged as infractions or misdemeanors punishable by up to six months in jail and/or a fine not to exceed $1,000, if the board and mayor approve the ordinance.
Short tied the local effort to a recent state law change referenced in the presentation (identified in the transcript as "California Senate Bill 276") and said San Francisco seeks to implement a local carve-out in recognition of the city's retail-theft concerns. "If approved by the full board and signed into law by the mayor, the new rules could be implemented as early as January," she said.
Commissioners pressed for clarity about nighttime enforcement and the role of police. Short said Public Works maintains the task-force calendar and typically does nighttime enforcement operations two to three nights a week, adjusting as needed when neighborhoods raise concerns; when food vending is involved, Department of Public Health and other partners join enforcement operations, and police involvement can occur after multiple warnings under the carve-out established by the state law.
Short also noted community groups such as the Mission Street Vendors Association have expressed support for elements of the enforcement plan, and the department is continuing to process vending permits for vendors who comply with rules.
The commission received the informational report; there was no vote on a local ordinance at this meeting.
