Tacos of every kind. Elotes smeared in spices. Tortas dripping with sauce.
Unlicensed street vendors selling such Mexican antojitos — or little cravings — have increasingly popped up in Santa Ana, setting up shop on sidewalks without proper refrigeration, running water or other safety standard requirements.
Following complaints from some in the community, Santa Ana and Orange County Health Care Agency officials, accompanied by police, shut down more than 100 sidewalk food stands during a six-week period that ended Dec. 16.
Santa Ana officials, in a press release issued Tuesday night, said the vendors were selling food “unfit for human consumption” and operating without proper health permits.
“While enjoying meals from street vendors has become popular, we cannot allow unsafe food conditions to endanger public health,” Mayor Valerie Amezcua said. “I applaud City and County staff’s efforts to protect our residents.”
Former Mayor Vicente Sarmiento said many of the vendors are not local “mom and pop” entrepreneurs but employees from large enterprises — mostly from Los Angeles County — that send out teams to open on sidewalks in Santa Ana and elsewhere in Orange County.
The recent crackdown was applauded by many residents on the Neighbors of Santa Ana Facebook page, where some defended the right of people to freely sell their goods but most complained that the impromptu street vendors are posing problems in the community.
Santa Ana resident Victor Vasquez was among those who praised the city for taking down the unlicensed street stands.
“It’s a big nuisance,” Vasquez said in an interview Wednesday. “They do pick up the big trash but there’s a lot of stuff left behind.”
That includes grease from cooked meats and sometimes urine because there’s no bathroom facility nearby, he said.
“They’re using the same knife to cut raw meat and then cut your taco meat,” Vasquez said.
The sidewalk taco stands also affect nearby restaurants and food trucks that have permits to operate.
“There’s too many now. It’s out of control,” said one food truck operator who asked to not be named because the topic is controversial in the city.
Another taco restaurant manager said her business has been severely impacted by the sidewalk pop-ups.
“We all have the right to make a living, but this has affected us,” she said in Spanish. “We’re paying taxes and have permits. They don’t.”
Jose Rodriguez, a licensed street food vendor on Fourth Street for about 29 years, said the topic of street vendors can be controversial in Santa Ana.
“People need to make a living, but we all need to follow the rules,” he said.
Street vending was decriminalized in 2018 when the California Legislature passed the Safe Sidewalk Vending Act. The industry is largely associated with immigrants.
In September, Gov. Gavin Newsom signed into law SB 972, which will make it easier for some street vendors to obtain local health permits. Among other things, the new law states that a first-time offender’s ability to pay a fine must be considered. The bill, introduced by Sen. Lena A. Gonzalez, D-Long Beach, is meant to further decriminalize street vending and modernize the California retail food code, which the bill’s advocates say was not designed for small street food vendors. The law takes effect in January.
Meanwhile, Santa Ana and Orange County health officials said they plan to continue to send out inspectors in the future. City officials also encouraged residents buying food on the street to look for a health permit displayed on the vendor’s cart, truck or table.
Source: Orange County Register
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