Street Vending

What we’re fighting for

Everyone deserves to be able to work free of discrimination, harassment, and criminalization - including street vendors!

Street Vendors - as part of an industry and part of the working class - deserve equitable access to vending in public spaces. Street Vendors are also culture bearers and should be celebrated and respected for the ways in which they make our public spaces more vibrant and welcoming to everyone.

Street vendor behind a food cart with fruit cups and spices, stylized in purple and gold colors.

Our History

Starting a Street Vendor Movement

From 2015-2018, several of our current team members led the LA Street Vendor Campaign while employed at other organizations. During that time, our team contributed to the decriminalization of street vending across the state of CA with SB 946 in 2018. Before SB 946, vendors across the state could be arrested for vending. Now, even if you are ticketed because you have not yet obtained your permit, you cannot be charged with a criminal citation, only an administrative one. Our team also contributed to the legalization of sidewalk and park vending in the City of Los Angeles, establishing a new permit program for legal vending in 2020.
Updating CA State Law

CPC led the street vendor organizing work for the CA Street Vendor Campaign which won SB 972 in 2022. SB 972 created a new designation within the CA Retail Food Code for street vendors and provides more opportunities for legal food vending.

In 2025 the coalition is backing a new state bill - SB 635 - that will help protect street vendors against cruel and unjust immigration enforcement.
Vending in LA County

Our organizing and advocacy contributed to the LA County Board of Supervisors approving the creation of a legal street vending program in the unincorporated area of LA in 2024. The County has also approved a Micro Enterprise Home Kitchen program (MEHKO) which will allow some food vendors to cook from home instead of requiring the rental of costly commercial kitchens. This work is in progress.
Abolishing No Vending Zones

In July of 2024, vendors secured a groundbreaking settlementwith the City of Los Angeles, resolving their lawsuit that challenged the City’s widespread and arbitrary vending restrictions as violations of state law.

The settlement built on previous progress catalyzed by the vendors’ lawsuit, including the City Council’s vote to repeal of seven blanket no-vending zones earlier in the year.
Vendor Associations

CPC has helped establish vendor associations in 11 neighborhoods across the County, some of which are now working to establish special vending districts with support from elected officials—this is the case in Echo Park and the Guatemalan Food Market in Westlake.
La Lucha Continua

CPC continues to organize with over 2000 street vendors across Los Angeles, mobilizing 800 people a year to direct actions and advocacy events in support of improvements to the City and County vending programs and against criminalization from enforcement agencies.

What we’re up Against

While CPC has been around for five years, our team has a decade-old history organizing street vendors to respond to local regulations and laws that seek to exclude, discriminate against, and criminalize street vendors. These include high financial barriers to formalization, ticketing, place-based restrictions, and employment of (often violent) law enforcement.

Because of our recent wins in state legislation - SB 946 and SB 972 - there can no longer be criminal penalties for street vending (i.e. criminal charges, jail time, deportation etc.). Additionally, vendors sued the city for its arbitrary and discriminatory No Vending Zones, and they won!

But heavy fines, discrimination and exclusion continue, and the current political climate has presented increased risks and hostility toward our community.

Group of people at a street protest holding signs and a large banner in Spanish about supporting street vendors, with city buildings and palm trees in the background.

How we can transform

Street Vending IS a legitimate form of labor, and should be recognized and respected, and protected as such. Vendors must be given equitable access to do their work in public spaces out of respect for this labor, to improve public safety, and to enrich public space.

Organizing:

When vendors are organized, they are no longer alone. There is power in numbers, and through collaboration and networks of support, we can create safety outside of the enforcement systems that often harm our communities.

But it’s not just about numbers, we must also make intentional investments in political education and leadership development for street vendors throughout the areas we organize in: strengthening race and class analysis, emphasizing the importance of self-governance and collaboration, and building conflict resolution skills. This helps build awareness of the interconnectedness of various movements for justice, and gives people tools to be in relationships & community in ways that don’t perpetuate harm.

Policy Advocacy:

We advocate for laws that ensure equitable access to public spaces that support street vendors’ economic, technical, and infrastructural development.

Two recent and major policy wins in the city of LA that we led advocacy efforts for are:

The elimination of the city’s no-vending zones
7 high-traffic areas where sidewalk vending was unlawfully prohibited
A reduction in the cost of street vending permits from an initial $541 all the way down to $27.51!

Collaboration:

Finally, our work requires continued support from other local organizations to bolster the work we do as organizers. This includes things like legal support, workshops on economic literacy and permitting processes, and restorative justice & conflict resolution. Grateful for all of our community partners!

Current Updates

A group of six people standing in front of the Westlake/MacArthur Park Metro station sign with "B" and "D" lines indicated. They appear to be part of a community event, as several are wearing shirts with slogans. The backdrop features a cloudy sky, palm trees, a "No Smoking" sign, and tents.

Stay tuned for updates & ways to get involved with:

Resources

Are you a street vendor? Check out this FREE resource for vendors to empower themselves & strengthen their businesses.

Three raised fists with a red background, text reads "KNOW YOUR RIGHTS" and "CONOCE SUS DERECHOS" in blue.

Illustration of street vendor cart with colorful umbrella, text in Spanish "Sea Un Vendedor Ambulante Exitoso" and in English "Be a Successful Street Vendor."

We share resources and information about workshops more frequently on our social media, but these are some organizations who are leading this work for our communities!

CA Immigrant Policy Center

ACLU Southern California

CIELO (in Indigenous languages)

CHIRLA