Coastal sidewalk sellers rules come into effect

In November, the San Diego City Council unanimously approved strengthening of an ordinance banning vendors from parks or on sidewalks along local beaches. The decision ended weeks of lobbying by a coalition of local city councils from Ocean Beach to La Jolla.

Beach trading rules came into effect on Friday.

Joe Little of NBC 7 talks to one salesperson who agrees with the ruling but wishes there was a middle ground.

An old city ordinance tightened the rules on unauthorized street vendors, but the City of San Diego could not enforce those rules in the coastal area, which was under the control of the California Coastal Commission. A November decision by the city council abolished this state control.

There are now formalized parameters for where vendors can physically locate—for example, 15 feet from another vendor, 50 feet from a major traffic stop, and 100 feet from any sidewalk or street closure. In addition, sellers must pay $38 per year to be allowed to sell their wares in San Diego.

Dozens of pop-up street vendor tents line the Mission Beach boardwalk and in some cases obscure ocean views, according to NBC 7’s Artie Ojeda.

“I want to thank the community and the Coastal Commission for their help in advancing this ordinance that includes beaches and coastal areas,” City Councilwoman Jennifer Campbell said in part in a press release released Friday.

Before going into effect, it was not uncommon to see so many vendors side by side that the ocean view could be completely obscured. However, the situation will not change overnight: although the rules went into effect on Friday, they will not apply until February 1st.

Sellers can go here for more information and apply for a permit.

Omari Fleming of NBC 7 spoke to street vendors in Balboa Park about new rules on the horizon.

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