A judge on Thursday allowed a coalition of street vendors to sue the city of Los Angeles over its no-sale areas to challenge the order in court.
Los Angeles Superior Court Judge James C. Chalfant finalized an interim ruling he issued Wednesday, overturning the city’s first legal challenge to a motion filed Dec. 7 by three community groups: Community Power Collective , East Los Angeles Community Corp. and Inclusive Action for the City. — and two peddlers, Merlin Alvarado and Ruth Monroy.
The petition challenges the city’s “no-sell zones” ordinance that prohibits the sale of food on sidewalks within 500 feet of many of the city’s most popular neighborhoods and tourist destinations, including the Hollywood Walk of Hollywood Fame.
Los Angeles council members have approved a study to assess the possibility of reducing the cost of permits for street vendors.
City Council argues that allowing the peddling in tourist areas and sports venues, it causes overcrowding that pushes pedestrians to walk down the street.
The petitioners (some at home gathered outside the downtown courthouse on Thursday morning ahead of the hearing) allege the no-sale zones conflict with SB 946, the 2018 California law that has decriminalized street vending. .
The coalition and vendors say the city has provided no data indicating when or where pedestrians were forced into the streets, or whether street vending is the cause, or whether alternatives to the ban on sale were considered. .
Under Chalfant’s decision, the city failed to demonstrate that its restrictions were directly related to objective health, safety or welfare issues.
He further said the city did not explain why the seven locations with no vendors were chosen, what overcrowding occurred at those locations, why the 500-foot barrier was selected, and whether peddling was directly related to the concerns. expressed.
“SB 946 prevents the city from enacting these restrictions without meeting its criteria, and the court cannot determine whether the city complied without such evidence,” Chalfant wrote.