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Board directs stepped‑up enforcement against unpermitted food vendors after reports of unsafe operations
Summary
After months of complaints and a presentation showing hundreds of incidents, the Monterey County Board of Supervisors directed staff to prioritize enforcement of unpermitted food vendors, seek coordinated law‑enforcement support, and consider barriers at a frequent hotspot in Pajaro/Royal Oaks.
Monterey County’s Environmental Health Bureau reported on Feb. 3 that inspectors have responded to 223 complaints about unpermitted food vendors in fiscal year 2024–25, with concentrations in Salinas, Pajaro and Castroville. The bureau described safety and food‑safety concerns, limitations of inspectors who are not peace officers, and enforcement steps taken so far — including education, administrative citations, impoundments of food and equipment and vehicle impounds in coordination with the District Attorney’s Office.
“Due to these limitations, the Environmental Health Bureau has updated its response procedure to require law enforcement presence when responding to these specific complaints,” supervising environmental health specialist Armando Gonzalez told the board as he outlined measures and enforcement gaps, including the bureau’s administrative fine structure of $100/$500/$1,000 for first, second and third violations.
Board members described reports of community harm and traffic risks near informal vendor sites and pressed staff for quicker action. Supervisor Chris Lopez said the issue had crossed a threshold in his district: “I’ve already lost a resident,” he said, referring to a fatal traffic incident involving a person headed to a roadside vendor.
After discussion the board approved a set of short‑term responses: reprioritize existing environmental‑health staff to focus on high‑impact hotspots, authorize a one‑time request of roughly $50,000 for DA overtime or for contracted retired law enforcement support to accompany evening enforcement, instruct staff to pursue agreements to allow vehicle impoundments under Vehicle Code 22655.5 where appropriate, and direct county counsel to send a letter from the board to Union Pacific Railroad seeking ways to limit vendor access at a frequently used vacant lot at 499 Salinas Road (Pajaro/Royal Oaks). The motion passed unanimously.
What this means: County staff said impounding vehicles and working with the District Attorney’s Office has so far been the strongest deterrent; the board asked staff to return with options for staffing and cost estimates and to coordinate public outreach in Spanish and English to notify vendors and customers of enforcement actions.
Follow up: staff will return within 30 days with a proposal for staff reprioritization, a scope and budget for DA / retired law‑enforcement support, options for barriers or property controls at hotspot locations, and recommendations on outreach and enforcement schedules.
