Jeff Bengali, director of community development for the City of Oxnard, told the council the city has undertaken after‑hours Hazard Elimination and Reduction Operations (HERO) with fire, police and city attorney support to address unpermitted food vending that poses fire and health risks.

Bengali said the operations addressed fire‑safety concerns where vendors often lack refrigeration, serve uncertified food and create hazards. "They're just pulling this meat out of the back of a van literally in black trash bags and serving it to our residents," he said, describing why the city has run enforcement operations.

He said the city conducted about 50 after‑hours operations in 2025 and that when enforcement began there were roughly 35 regular vendor set‑ups; he said that number has stabilized at about three recurring setups. Ventura County Environmental Health assists when possible, but county staff cannot attend every operation because they cover the issue countywide.

Bengali said state law changes have reduced local enforcement options. In the transcript he cited state bills as "SB 946 and SB 972," and said those measures have decriminalized some unpermitted vending activity and limited cities’ mitigation tools.

The city is coordinating enforcement under fire code authorities with support from the Oxnard Police Department and the city attorney’s office. Bengali framed the effort as protecting residents from fire and food‑safety risks but also warned that state statutory constraints complicate local remediation efforts.

No formal policy change or vote was recorded during the presentation; Bengali described continuing enforcement operations and interagency collaboration as the ongoing approach.