Merced considers regulating street food vendors, citing health, safety concerns
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- Merced officials plan new ordinance to regulate street food vendor operations.
- Police report health, safety and access complaints linked to pop-up food stands.
- Draft ordinance expected to go before city council within 60 days.
Improperly stored meats and poor sanitation are part of routine calls to the Merced Police Department when pop-up food vendors such as chicharrón stands and taco carts set up on vacant lots or sidewalks.
“I’m down for a good street taco, like everybody else, but I just want to know that what I’m eating is not going to get me sick,” Police Chief Steven Stanfield told city leaders on Aug. 4.
City of Merced staff are now crafting a potential ordinance to regulate roaming and stationary food vendors, citing health and safety, economic fairness, and pedestrian-access concerns.
City officials held discussions on the potential ordinance during their Aug. 4 city council meeting.
Here’s what we know so far about the drivers behind the proposal, the rules under consideration, and the timeline ahead.
State law has allowed for food vendors to operate in California cities legally since 2019 but it also gives local authorities the power to regulate how they conduct their businesses.
Mayor Matthew Serratto says the food vendor issues have popped up frequently in Merced.
“We have some serious concerns,” he said, adding that the city also wants “to establish fairness between the street vendors, … established licensed food trucks, and brick-and mortar-businesses.”
Stanfield told city leaders that the Merced Police Department receives complaints about pop-up vendors and safety concerns about the food being sold.
“Unfortunately, we deal with meats that are not being properly stored in refrigeration, and there’s improper sanitation, and the health inspector is basically confiscating all of the food and equipment because it doesn’t meet the health and safety requirements,” Stanfield said.
The police chief also told city officials that they receive occasional calls for access issues when street vendors obstruct a sidewalk preventing individuals with disabilities from being able to pass.
The discussion on the potential ordinance was met with some push-back during the city’s public comment period on Aug. 4. Critics warned city officials against overregulation and encouraged city officials to make the permitting process as accessible as possible.
“In all honesty, it does feel like certain communities might be targeted, especially because certain restrictions that might not be normal or easily accessible, like asking for a permit, getting insurance, trying to make sure you’re complying with all of these check boxes that you have to tick off,” Ashley Marie Suarez told the city council on Aug. 4.
“I think it’s fair game to make it as accessible as possible,” she said, “make the process very easy, to make sure that this doesn’t disrupt that sense of community”
City Attorney Craig J. Cornwell is expected to bring a draft ordinance before the city council within 60 days.