100+ street food vendors in Santa Ana shut down in sweep

SANTA ANA, Calif. - More than 100 sidewalk food vendors in Santa Ana have been shut down over the last month and a half "in response to community concerns," Orange County officials announced Tuesday. According to officials, the vendors were "selling food unfit for human consumption," and selling food without a license.

Under state law, all food vendors are required to have permits which allows them to operate the facility, and shows that the food has met state standards. According to Orange County officials, none of the more than 100 vendors shut down had such permits. The shutdowns were carried out by the city of Santa Ana's Code Enforcement Division and the Health Care Agency’s Environmental Health Division.

"While enjoying meals from street vendors has become popular, we cannot allow unsafe food conditions to endanger public health," Santa Ana Mayor Valerie Amezcua said in a press release. "I applaud City and County staff’s efforts to protect our residents."

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All the food collected was impounded, and the city said it plans to continue to inspect street vendors to ensure they have the proper permits. The city also said that despite state law limiting local governments' ability to prohibit overnight sidewalk vending, the city will be working to change the municipal code to further regulate street vendors.