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Council adopts new mobile-vending permit fees and escalating fines; vendors ask for pilot and more clarity
Summary
After public debate and testimony from food-truck operators, the council adopted a $518 staff-cost-based permit fee, an appeal fee and an escalating $500/$750/$1,000 citation schedule; staff will enforce, and the council asked for a future enforcement plan.
The City Council adopted two resolutions to implement permit fees and an administrative-citation schedule for the city's newly adopted mobile-vending ordinance.
Finance staff said the proposed permit fee of $518 reflects multi-department staff time (finance, risk management, community development, fire and final finance review), with an appeal fee set at $500 plus actual costs and re-review/resubmitt fees for incomplete applications. The council also approved an escalating administrative-citation schedule: $500 for the first violation, $750 for a second and $1,000 for third and subsequent violations within one year; after four violations the finance director may revoke a vendor's permit.
Emmy Rose Hannah, the city's financial services manager, described the proposed workflow and enforcement steps. "The permit workflow includes verification of a sellers permit, LA County health permit and a fire inspection; we estimate a fully burdened permit cost of $518," Hannah said.
Mobile vendor Matt Rundus (Yeasty Boys Bagels) told the council the combined buffers and slope constraints in the ordinance leave few legal locations and urged a 30-day tabling to create a pilot zone. "A regulation that removes every option is simply a ban dressed up as safety," he said. Supporters on Zoom urged the council to preserve space for food trucks.
Council members pressed staff about who would revoke permits, how appeals would be handled and what operating rules would be enforced (for example, sidewalk signage and location restrictions). Staff said the finance director would have revocation authority consistent with the city's sidewalk vending model and that appealed revocations would go to a hearing officer.
The council voted unanimously to adopt Resolutions 25-0123 and 25-0124, which set the permit, appeal and citation fees. Council Member Hoard asked staff to return with a clear enforcement plan describing which departments respond to complaints, escalation pathways and public contact points.
Effective dates: the administrative-citation authority becomes effective Dec. 4, 2025; permit fees and appeals are scheduled to take effect Feb. 1, 2026, with an application deadline tied to business license cycles.
The resolutions implement council's enforcement and cost-recovery approach for mobile vending; advocates urged more time and a collaborative pilot before full enforcement.
