Ending The City of LA’s Unlawful and Discriminatory Street Vending Restrictions

For generations, sidewalk vending has been an integral part of the cultural and economic fabric of the City of Los Angeles and the State of California. Recognizing the vital role that street vending plays in our communities, the State of California enshrined statewide protections for street vendors with the passage of the “Safe Sidewalk Vending Act” (SB 946) in 2018. This law legalizes sidewalk vending statewide and sets mandatory standards for local government regulation of vending—limiting restrictions unless they are directly required to safeguard objective health, safety, or welfare concerns, and preventing municipalities from enacting vending regulations based solely on constituent complaints or economic animus.

When Los Angeles passed its Sidewalk Vending Ordinance in November 2018—legalizing and regulating sidewalk vending throughout the City—it also carved out seven “no-vending” zones, covering popular destinations like the Hollywood Walk of Fame, LA Live, and Universal Studios. The City said these prohibitions were put in place to prevent “overcrowding on sidewalks, which results in pedestrians walking in the streets;” however, the City failed to identify any facts, data, or documentation to support this assertion. The City also created exclusionary vending bans across the city near swap meets, farmers’ markets, schools, and temporary events.

The impact of these discriminatory bans on street vendors was harmful. Vendors whose livelihoods relied on the bustling foot traffic of popular destinations like the Hollywood Walk of Fame became targets of increased and aggressive enforcement by the Bureau of Street Services, the agency responsible for enforcing the City’s Sidewalk Vending Ordinance. 

In December 2022, two street vendors and three community empowerment groups filed a lawsuit against the City of Los Angeles challenging its widespread and arbitrary vending restrictions as violations of state law SB 946. Additionally, the lawsuit highlighted that the City’s outdoor dining regulations encourage brick-and-mortar stores to occupy wide swaths of the sidewalk in the exact locations where sidewalk vending is prohibited—differential treatment by the City that violates federal and state constitutional guarantees.

Update, July 17, 2024: Street vendors and organizational plaintiffs secured a groundbreaking settlement with 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 repeals exclusionary vending bans across the city near swap meets, farmers’ markets, schools, and temporary events; cancels all citations issued for vending in the repealed exclusionary zones; and provides full refunds to vendors for any fines paid. These gains build on previous progress catalyzed by the vendors’ lawsuit, including the City’s repeal of seven blanket no-vending zones earlier this year and City Council motions aimed at bringing vendors into the policymaking process and transforming the City’s approach to enforcing vending regulations. 

Update, February 6, 2024: In a unanimous vote, the City of Los Angeles passed a motion to amend its Sidewalk Vending Ordinance to eliminate seven no-vending zones, acknowledging the unlawful nature of the policy. The City’s action comes as a direct result of a lawsuit filed by sidewalk vendors. Despite this victory, vendors vowed to move forward with their lawsuit, citing the need for full repeal of all of the City’s exclusionary and arbitrary regulations and to address hundreds of citations issued to vendors in these areas.