A city council committee on Wednesday approved a motion calling for a review of the annual fee for sidewalk and park vending permits, taking into account the average annual income of vendors.
The motion, drafted by council members Nithya Raman, Curren Price and Kevin DeLeón in July 2022, also directs city staff to craft an ordinance that would offer a reduced cost of approximately $291 for the sale of permits. operating until June 1.
Councilwoman Eunisses Hernandez, chair of the Neighborhood and Community Enrichment Committee, filed an amendment Wednesday to the motion to extend the reduced cost until the rate study is complete and City Council adopts an agreed updated rate.
The rate study will not include the costs associated with respecting authorized activities on the sidewalks, according to the motion.
In September 2020, the city implemented a reduced-cost permit fee of $291 in response to the economic impacts of the coronavirus pandemic on street vendors, according to the motion. The reduced cost rate expired on July 1, 2022, and the cost returned to its regular cost of $541.
In Long Beach, a survey found that 66% of people who took the survey support sidewalk vendors, now the city is looking for a way to regularize these vendors.
The motion being considered by the committee on Wednesday aims to reduce the financial burden on street vendors whose median income is about $11,300 a year, according to a report by the Economic Roundtable, a nonprofit research organization based in Los Angeles.
The motion will now go to the full City Council meeting.