Illegal food vendors are now a county-wide concern with Santa Barbara leaders asking for a united enforcement plan

SANTA BARBARA COUNTY, Calif. – The issues of illegal food vendors, an increasing Santa Barbara concern for about two years, is now being felt throughout the Santa Ynez Valley and up to Santa Maria.

The issue came up at a recent Santa Barbara County Association of Governments (SBCAG) meeting that also included the Santa Barbara City Police and Fire Commission. County Supervisor Joan Hartmann's office has been receiving calls and complaints in recent weeks as the food vendors have popped up in roadside areas in her district which covers a wide area of the Santa Ynez Valley and a portion of Lompoc outside of the city limits.

The city said a united enforcement approach is the recommended plan.

"No jurisdiction has been unimpacted by these unlawful street vendors and we do feel like more consistency county-wide will be helpful to deter their unlawful behavior," said Senior Assistant to the City Administrator, Barbara Anderson.

A dire message came in from area business leaders.  Bea Molina with the Eastside Milpas Business Association said, legally operating local businesses are getting hit hard with the drop in customers.  "Two of them are about to close so the ramification of the business taken away from the restaurants to these vendors is dramatic. It is dramatic and it is not a little percentage, and it has been going on for two years."

Molina says some legally operating local businesses are getting hit hard on the regular with a declining number of customers. "They resent that they have to obey all the safety codes all the licensing permits every regulations and these vendors don't have to meet one regulation. There's no license. There's no health reviews."

In addition to issues including blocking sidewalks and bike paths, the health and safety violations were widespread.

Anderson said, "we consistently observed and issued notices of violations for the lack of temperature controlled food storage. Lack of proper food handling and lack of hand washing stations. Moreover the vendors are dumping grease and other materials down storm drains."    

The issue of illegal street vendors hit home in another way, during Old Spanish Days Fiesta when the non-profits set up in De la Guerra to raise money said their groups were affected by the unlicensed vendors nearby.

Scott Burns with Old Spanish Days said, "during Fiesta we also had a lot of unlawful food vendors that really made it hard for the people who were non-profits and other vendors."  The vendors were spread out down the street for several blocks. They were in and around many other restaurants and using city property for their set up areas. Some of the cooking stations used double pop-ups and prep areas.

There are also smaller rolling carts with bacon wrapped hot dogs sizzling in front of night clubs and entertainment spots. At a recent show in the Arlington Theatre ten of the carts were lined up on State St. under the marquee awaiting patrons who were inside.

The small grills were transported with the sellers inside large white vans parked nearby.

The local food operations say the enforcement is not visible but the impacts are.

The city says many citations have been issued during recent months, but it's not stopping the flow of vendors, mainly from out of the area.

Santa Barbara City Fire Marshal, Ryan DiGuilio said,  "one day we might issue a citation to one person and the next day it could be the same equipment, same operator, different person, different citation – so it seems to be a revolving circle."

The Police and Fire Commission also heard from the staff and City Attorney's office about what citations have been issued so far, but not about how they are being processed by the courts.

When an enforcement action takes place, it is usually handled by a team that includes representatives from police, fire, the health department, and the city attorney's office.

The city says some of the violators had addresses in Los Angeles.

Supporters of the vendors say the prices are cheaper than other options they have. They also say they support the workers who are trying to start a business by vending on the street, as has been done for years across the country.

Enforcement teams involving representatives of several agencies working together say they have encountered situations where they face criticism on the spot from customers who disagree with the actions.