TITLE
Recommendation to request City Manager, or designee, to work with all appropriate departments to report back to the City Council in 60 days on a security and safety program that can be implemented to improve safety conditions for street vendors operating in our city.
DISCUSSION
The COVID-19 pandemic has greatly impacted the livelihoods of the food industry. Street vendors contribute to our local economy. Prior to the pandemic, it is estimated that street vending generates $504 million in Los Angeles. Street vending provides an important entrepreneurship and economic development opportunity for low-income and migrant families. Street vendors benefit our communities that lack major supermarkets and have limited access to healthy food options. Their presence on street corners, the possession of cash and the economic downtown that happened during the COVID-19 pandemic has put these workers lives at greater risk. Vendors contribute economically and culturally to the Long Beach community making it vital that we address their safety and security.
Sidewalk vendors who have already been vulnerable are especially hard hit as they may have not been able to receive any federal relief. Vendors may lack any training or knowledge of state and federal air due to language or logistical barriers or are ineligible due to their immigration status. Street vending is yet to be apart of the mainstream economy, and the first step to this is the city investing in ways to protect vendors physically and financially. It is important for there to be investments into multilingual education resources and outreach and support for vendors to ensure that they feel safe in the community.
Regionally, we are seeing increasing reported assaults, harassment, robbery, and other crimes committed against street vendors. The Los Angeles Police Department has reported that crimes against street vendors have rose nearly 337% between 2010-2019, going from 38-166. Nearly 45% of these crimes against...
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