The city says the Parks and Recreation division will draft changes to the ordinance for the San Diego City Council to approve in the fall in order to make enforcement easier.
SAN DIEGO — The San Diego City Council approved Ordinance O-21459 in May 2022. The ordinance laid out ways for vendors to legally sell items on the street, including getting required permits and licenses, as well as regulations to follow. The city began enforcing the new sidewalk vending ordinance in beach areas the following February.
Chris Cott, who lives in the La Jolla Shores area, is one of the neighbors upset with the current state of enforcement. "In February we had a ban for about a week, or maybe two weeks, and then they just said they wanted to come back and they did come back," Cott said. Rachel Laing, the communications director for Mayor Todd Gloria, told ABC 10News in an email Friday that the city is going to create zones where people claiming freedom of expression or speech can operate. Laing said it's similar to how Balboa Park had done it for years, prior to the state law requiring cities to allow street vending.