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Local businesses press Solano County for tougher enforcement on unpermitted street vendors
Summary
Local restaurant owners told the board that unpermitted street vendors are undercutting licensed businesses and posing traffic and food-safety risks. County Resource Management said it has conducted sweeps but limited resources and jurisdictional boundaries constrain enforcement.
Several local business owners told the Solano County Board of Supervisors on Nov. 5 that unpermitted street vendors and pop-up food operations are taking customers, creating traffic hazards and raising food-safety concerns. Dulce Bedoya, who owns Albarba’s Restaurant and Bar in Vallejo, said the number of unpermitted pop-ups has grown and urged the county to increase sweeps or refund permit/inspection fees for affected businesses.
"My name is Dulce Bedoya. I own Albarba's Restaurant and Bar in Vallejo... We spoke before you last month and are here to ask for a status update on what's been done to aid in the regulations of the increased unpermitted pop up vendors," Bedoya said. Director of Resource Management James Bezeyck told the board the county has done targeted sweeps — including an Oct. 18 operation in Vallejo — issues notices of violation and is holding confiscated equipment longer to deter immediate return. Bezeyck said the county’s role is limited to environmental health permits and that many enforcement actions rest with cities or Caltrans, adding the county has had only limited cooperation from some cities.
Bezeyck said coordination and staff resources are the main constraints: "We will continue to try and up the sweeps as much as possible. It's a limited resources type of situation," he said. Board members urged better city-county coordination and asked staff to bring an enforcement and partnership plan to the Land Use & Transportation Committee for Nov. 19.
