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Miguel Gonzalez has worked in the restaurant industry for the last 17 years. Now, he’s looking to start a food truck business with his brother serving a fusion of Peruvian and Yucatán cuisines.
To achieve that goal, Gonzalez realized he had to learn all the rules that go along with being a street vendor. That’s why he attended the Sacramento Hispanic Chamber of Commerce’s Street Vendor Bootcamp on Tuesday, a Spanish pilot program that aims to teach attendees what they need to succeed in their business goals.
“There are times that the thing that limits Latino immigrants is the lack of information,” Gonzalez said in Spanish. “Sometimes the process is simpler and more affordable than what we imagined to be able to work in a dignified, tranquil way that allows us to operate in the way the law says.”
Although he’s from Brentwood, where rules might differ slightly from Sacramento, he hopes to use the knowledge he acquired during the workshop to kickstart his business.
“Every county has its own rules and regulations … but I think the information in general is important to even be able to start,” he added.
Aspiring street vendor Miguel Gonzalez stands outside of the Self-Help Federal Credit Union Tuesday, Sept. 24, 2024, in Sacramento.Gerardo Zavala/CapRadio
The boot camp covered everything from code enforcement compliance and business operations to social media and marketing.
David Contto, small business consultant for the chamber, led the workshop. He said this is only the second time the chamber has held the event.
“I’m originally from Peru and I grew up around street vendors,” Contto said. “Anytime we needed something at the house, we’d go to the mercado on the street, so it’s very much a Latino thing.”
The workshop covered the laws of food vending on the street, which permits are required to get started, and how to promote their business online, among other things.
“We don’t just give them the tools for the permits that they need, but also how to operate their business,” Contto added.
Contto also acknowledged street vendors in California have dealt with an increase in violence, which he noted mostly goes unreported. According to data from the Los Angeles Police Department, the period between Jan. 1, 2023 and Aug. 28 the same year saw 202 reports of crime against a street vendor in the city — an 18% increase over the 171 incidents in the same period in 2022.
“From what we do hear, of that that we speak with, there is this animosity and fear,” Contto stressed. “So we’re also going to be adding to these classes talks about safety on the street.”
Sacramento Code Enforcement Manager Shawn Bartosh attended the event to discuss code enforcement compliance and answer any questions from attendees. He argued that compliance is more important than enforcement, and that the city’s goal is to ensure vendors have the knowledge and tools needed to operate legally.
“I think sidewalk vending is a good thing,” Bartosh emphasized. “It provides opportunities for folks to start their small business, which could potentially lead to bigger businesses later. There’s a legal way to do so, and that’s what we’re here for.”
He said many of the street vendors breaking city ordinances are not doing so on purpose. Instead, they often aren’t aware of the rules and regulations, so he hopes these workshops address that.
Recently, Elk Grove cracked down on illegal street food vendors after the city said it saw an increase in consumer complaints. Bartosh argued that instead of punishing street vendors for what is usually a lack of knowledge or understanding of the rules, Sacramento aims to educate them.
“We’re here to give them guidance, answer any questions on how to get legally permitted so they can operate without fear of any citations or any kind of enforcement,” Bartosh said. “For those folks who just don’t know, this is the perfect opportunity for education, and we’d rather do the outreach and education than take enforcement action.”
Furthermore, a California bill passed in 2018 legalized sidewalk vending statewide. The legislation mandates that no jurisdiction can criminally punish people for street vending and vendors may not be arrested for selling food without a health permit.
A UC Davis study published in 2021 found that 85% of cities and 75% of counties include street food vending regulations researchers argued “go beyond public health rationale and include labor laws and restrictions on time and hours of operation.”
“Improving street food vending policy will allow vendors to operate more safely while also improving diet-related health through increasing the supply of low-cost fruits and vegetables and their consumption,” authors also wrote.
Bartosh noted that Sacramento is working on ways to alleviate its food deserts and acknowledged that street vendors are “one of the smaller things that definitely helps in that situation.”
“We’re here to try to help them get permitted so they can be out there and start their business and provide that to the neighborhoods,” he said.
For more information on Sacramento’s rules and regulations, the city’s finance department has a sidewalk vending permit FAQ page on its website explaining the different types of sidewalk vending allowed in the city, the types of permits needed to become a sidewalk vendor and more.
The Hispanic Chamber of Commerce plans to have two more street vendor workshops — one in October and another in November. More information will be available soon and can be found by visiting the chamber’s website.
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