{"id":61282,"date":"2024-06-23T19:16:35","date_gmt":"2024-06-24T02:16:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/eltecolote.org\/content\/?p=61282"},"modified":"2024-06-23T20:07:38","modified_gmt":"2024-06-24T03:07:38","slug":"mission-street-vendors-pilot","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/eltecolote.org\/content\/en\/mission-street-vendors-pilot\/","title":{"rendered":"Street vendors\u2019 trial return to Mission Street marks hard-fought political win"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Wearing matching, bright yellow uniforms, permitted street vendors are back on Mission Street. As part of a pilot program, ten vendors selected through a city-run lottery returned Friday to sell their goods along the sidewalks between 23rd and 24th streets.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThere\u2019s nothing like Mission Street,\u201d said Luz Ledesma, a long-time jewelry vendor and one of the lottery awardees. From making $25 a week at El Tiangue, a former city-sanctioned vending site, Ledesma and her husband, Luis, reported making about the same amount ($25) in just an hour in sales. \u201cWe are happy because there is a big difference.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The pilot program is part of a larger effort in City Hall to crack down on illegal vending of stolen goods in San Francisco without adversely impacting permitted vendors. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Introduced by State Sen. Scott Wiener and sponsored by Mayor London Breed, Senate Bill 925<\/a> (SB 925) is a new bill that would take \u201ca narrow approach that specifically targets bad actors.\u201d If passed, the bill would require vendors to obtain permits and a proof of purchase to sell items on officials\u2019 list of commonly stolen goods. Vendors in violation would receive an infraction for their first two offenses, and could face a misdemeanor and up to six months in jail for a third offense.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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As part of a pilot program, ten permitted street vendors returned to sell their goods along Mission Street in San Francisco, Calif. on June 21, 2024. Photo: Erika Carlos<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The bill is a political win for the Mission District\u2019s permitted street vendors. \u201cWe finally feel that our voices were heard after so much struggle and fight,\u201d said Rodrigo Lopez, president of the Mission Street Vendors Association (MSVA). He said he worked closely with District 9 Supervisor Hillary Ronen, the mayor\u2019s office and community organizations to make sure the city\u2019s efforts include a path to reinstating permitted vendors back on Mission Street.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The city banned all street vending along Mission Street late November in response to illegal vending and unsafe conditions in the area. According to city data, the first 60 days of the vending moratorium resulted in a 30% decrease in assaults and robberies and a 23% decrease in calls to the city\u2019s 311 public service line for street cleaning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, the blanket approach eliminated a critical commercial hub for more than a hundred licensed street vendors who have historically sold along Mission Street, most of whom are Latinx families and immigrants.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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