New S.F. law could push street food vendors out — or force $15,000 upgrades

After the Board of Supervisors unanimously approved a new law Tuesday that could push scores of street food vendors — many of them Latino immigrants — out of business or force them to spend thousands to upgrade, vendor Marta Regidor is weighing her options.

“Where am I going to gather all that money? I don’t know what I’m going to do. I have to borrow a lot,” said Regidor, who sells mangoes, beans, tamales, honey and cut fruit on Mission Street.

Lee este reportaje en español

Just last week, she spoke with Emanuel Baca, an Oakland-based fabricator who builds fruit carts. At 24th and Mission streets, he showed her a model that had passed Department of Public Health inspections. He quoted her $12,800 for a cart that would meet the city’s new requirements, he told El Tecolote.The law was approved unanimously by the 10 supervisors present. Supervisor Jackie Fielder, who had previously helped postpone the vote, was absent.

---

---

The new law requires vendors to use carts equipped with two sinks, hot and cold running water, and refrigeration. These carts typically cost around $15,000. For vendors preparing hot food on site, the requirements are even more extensive and expensive. The law also requires vendors to prepare food in a commercial kitchen, which can cost about $2,400 per month.

The ordinance updates San Francisco’s street vending rules to align with California’s Retail Food Code, creates a new category for “compact mobile food operations,” and expands enforcement authority for the Department of Public Works.

Meanwhile, neighboring counties such as San Mateo and Santa Clara have implemented Microenterprise Home Kitchen Operation (MEHKO) programs, which allow vendors to prepare food at home and avoid the expense of a commissary kitchen. San Francisco has not.

Without viable pathways to comply, vendors say enforcement is the immediate concern. Past crackdowns have included confiscation of carts and the disposal of hundreds of dollars’ worth of food. The new law also expands the Department of Public Works’ authority to regulate and enforce street vending.

Vendors and organizers responded quickly.

In an email obtained by El Tecolote, the vendor-led group Nuestra Causa urged Supervisors Connie Chan and Fielder to introduce a resolution to help vendors meet the requirements.

The proposed resolution calls on the city to pause enforcement of the commissary kitchen rule until the Department of Public Health analyzes how to implement MEHKO in San Francisco. It also seeks financial support for cart purchases and an expansion of vending spaces, noting that the current cap of 10 vendors per block is often already filled by merchandise vendors.

The city’s Department of Public Works enforcement had been paused for several months while officials updated local codes to comply with California’s 2023 law decriminalizing street vending.

“We’re disappointed, but organizing has never been about one vote. It’s about what comes next,” said Leila Ovando, director of Food Access and Equity at Nuestra Causa. The group is now pushing for a resolution to make compliance feasible for vendors who say the law is unaffordable.

“The responsibility now is on the city to make sure this actually works,” Ovando said.

“We’re calling on leaders who have stood with immigrant communities to carry forward a resolution that sets a clear direction, build the infrastructure, implement the home kitchen program, and make sure vendors aren’t penalized while that system is still being built,” she added. “Legalization has to work in practice, not just on paper.”

As Regidor waited for BART, she described the uncertainty the new law has created.

“This is a big headache,” she said. “Do I need a cart and a table? The whole thing is a dilemma for me. I don’t know what I’m going to do.”

The offices of Supervisors Connie Chan and Jackie Fielder did not respond to a request for comment by deadline.