After asking for a handful of modifications to a proposed ordinance they discussed in June, the Walnut Creek City Council tonight will consider approving updated new regulations for sidewalk vendors.
The changes are in response to a new state law significantly limiting cities in how they regulate such vendors.
As of Jan. 1, Senate Bill 946 amended California law to limit cities’ ability to regulate sidewalk vendors. The bill decriminalized sidewalk vending activities and afforded additional protections to vendors against local regulations.
The proposed new regulations would require permits for anyone doing business on public sidewalks and pedestrian paths in Walnut Creek, except for people younger than 18 and anticipating less than $1,000 a year in revenue.
Most of the changes between June and now involve various adjusted distances and measurements, including the amount of clearances needed for pedestrians to safely pass vendors. Another change excludes sidewalk vendors
from the city’s definition of “itinerant merchants.”
Tonight’s Walnut Creek City Council meeting begins at 6 p.m. at City Hall, 1666 N. Main St.
Keep voting for those state democrats and they will have people sleeping on your lawn before long. What right does the state have to tell a city what to do with its sidewalks.
I don’t understand the point of the state law, was it too difficult for vendors to annoy people with their crap for sale on sidewalks? Is this about the bacon wrapped hot dog man?
Is the business collecting/paying sales tax?? Do they have a permit? Are they checked by the Health Dept? Do they wear gloves when handling food? Do they have a business license? All these things I have to do for my business why don’t they??
Taxes?
We don’ got no taxes..
We don’ need no taxes!
We don’ got to collect or pay no stinkin’ taxes!
I am opposed to this. Many people are homeless and sell occasional items on the street just to support themselves. If they don’t have an actual business, I don’t see the problem. Let them try to earn some money.
I’ll call B.S.
Bad news. People are gonna get sick. Why are we going backwards?
No More Free Ride. Please the goverment does not care about you. Its pathetic.
And if you disagree they pullout the Race Card every time.
What type of business will be operated on the streets? Food trucks?
Ice cream carts? Hot Dog sales? Pretzels, Tacos? I don’t understand this.
Don’t forget street corn, tamales & fresh produce….. flowers sometimes too.
Does this rule also apply to autonomous and semi-autonomous delivery or transportation devices or vehicles?
WC had tried permitting those rolling coolers at one time. When I asked the council person about it later, one is usually at the WC farmers market on Sunday, her reply was the WC is not that desirable so they just left. The housing is too spread out for these small deliveries and the population is not large enough overall. At least that’s good news, can you imagine caravans of coolers on Ygnacio? That would be quite a sight.
I loved those guys who sold those Tamales at those Hot Dog Stands at the Bart station in Walnut Creek