LA street food vendors see huge boost in support from city, county

LOS ANGELES - For the last two years, Angela has been selling hot dogs and cold drinks from a cart on the streets of Los Angeles. But on Saturday night, she set up shop just outside the Crypto.com Arena for the first time.

The area had been a no-street vending site for years, since 2018, when sellers were prohibited from working in seven popular tourist spots across the city, including LA Live, the Hollywood Walk of Fame, the Hollywood Bowl and Dodger Stadium. 

Earlier this week, the LA City Council rescinded the ban on selling in those areas, a move Angela said, "should have been done a long time ago." She said the increased exposure really makes a difference to her bottom line.

"There's different people that come from like out of state, and there's a lot of people that come just ot the events, a lot of events going on," Angela said.

RELATED: LA street vendors no longer banned from tourist spots

Tourists say vendors like Angela are providing an important service.

But the vending zone ban wasn't all that happened at the City Council meeting earlier this week. The Council  also voted to lower the annual fee for permits to less than $30, down from $541.

There's also more potential support coming from both the city and the county.

At Friday's meeting, Councilmember Eunisses Hernandez also introduced motions which would make it easier for street vendors to understand city and county requirements. If they're approved, city departments would meet with vendors in the first district, to go over local rules and regulations, and to listen to vendors' feedback and concerns. The motions would also provide financial assistance for permit fees. Hernandez also wants to create interactive maps to make it easier for vendors to see where they can and cannot sell their wares.

On the county level, the Board of Supervisors greenlit ordinances which regulate sidewalk food vendors, and offer a subsidy program to help with permit costs.