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Supervisors give conceptual approval to streamline temporary vendor licenses for events, warn of past problems
Summary
The board directed staff to return with ordinance amendments to make short-term vendor (food truck) licensing easier for events while protecting parks and local businesses; supervisors recalled a problematic past rollout and asked for careful vetting.
The Board of Supervisors on May 19 gave conceptual direction to amend county code governing vending licenses on county property, asking staff to prepare draft options that separate short-term event permits from longer-term or permanent licensing.
Deputy CAO Miss Vanic told supervisors the current ordinance is built for long-term or contract-based uses and requires a competitive process that can be cumbersome for one-off events such as a food truck visiting county offices for a staff event. The requested direction was to explore a streamlined path for temporary vendors while preserving protections for parks, existing businesses and local permitting standards.
Supervisor Barlin described a prior county effort to allow a food truck at a county site that “went very badly” and urged caution; she asked for broader stakeholder vetting, including parks and the parks-and-recreation commission. County leadership acknowledged past difficulties and suggested a two-track approach: an expedited temporary/event license and a separate long-term license for recurring vendors.
"It took I cannot tell you how many hours of staff time and my time and community time to navigate that situation that we inadvertently created," Supervisor Barlin said, urging a careful solution to avoid repeating earlier mistakes.
The board voted to give conceptual approval and asked staff to return with ordinance language and options vetted by relevant departments and commissions.
Why it matters: supervisors expressed a desire to reduce administrative burden for short-term vendor requests while avoiding unintended consequences for local businesses and park users; staff will return with draft ordinance language and implementation options.
The motion to provide conceptual approval passed on a recorded vote (4–0 with one supervisor absent).
