Street inspectors for San Francisco’s Department of Public Works flooded the public comment section of the city’s board of supervisors meeting on Nov. 7 to alert officials of the difficulties of cracking down on illegal street vending, with inspectors expected to impound stolen items from suspected thieves on city streets.
“As I’m impounding items, I’ve been told, ‘Go ahead and take it. I’ll just steal more stuff and be back out here tomorrow,’” said one speaker who asked to be called “city employee.”
Highlighting what he said were inefficiencies in the current system, in which administrative tasks are divided by departments, he opened his comments with a joke.
“How many city employees does it take to handle an unpermitted hot dog vendor at the pier?” the man asked. “The answer is 11: four [San Francisco Police Department officers] for safety, two from public health for the food, two from public works for transport and labor, one from the fire department for the propane, and two from the port for the jurisdiction.”
He noted that what took 11 individuals to accomplish on a Sunday afternoon in 2023 was once the work of two police officers.
The law restricted city officials from criminal enforcement of illegal street vending and set citation fees for offenses of up to $250 for the first violation, escalating to $500 and $1,000 for subsequent offenses in the same year.
However, according to the law, there are no penalties if the fees aren’t paid.
City workers reported all kinds of items sold by vendors, from food prepared on-site to household goods, some appearing to be secondhand items and other wares believed to be stolen.
Critics say cities across the state are being negatively affected by the law, with Supervisor Aaron Peskin, the board of supervisors president, saying he lays blame with lawmakers and California Gov. Gavin Newsom.
“They made [illegal vending] administrative citations, and they ruined this town,” Mr. Peskin said during a brief pause between public commenters. “It is not the mayor’s fault. It is not this board of supervisors’ fault. It is the State of California, Governor Newsom, and the state Legislature’s fault, and they should fix it.”
Claiming that the city’s hands are tied, Mr. Peskin suggested that lawmakers need to take the initiative and write a bill that corrects past mistakes.
“It is totally not right, and [state Sen.] Scott Wiener, [Assemblymember] Phil Ting, and [Assemblymember] Matt Haney should go carry a bill to give us back our former powers,” he said. “Because right now, this entire scheme is a joke.”
While he didn’t mention specific legislation during the meeting, he later clarified that the problems originated from a law regulating street vendor enforcement.
“It is a function of the state’s passage of SB 946 in 2018 that took away local government’s power to criminalize street vending,” Mr. Peskin told The Epoch Times by email on Nov. 8.
Street inspectors are tasked with approaching vendors to inspect licenses and permits—with specific documents required for food operations and for selling goods—and if such are expired or nonexistent, to issue citations.
Also, items believed to be stolen are to be impounded, according to employees who said they were only trained to inspect permits, not handle stolen goods or dangerous situations.
More than a dozen employees and supporters filled seats in the City Hall chamber, with several speakers choosing to conceal their identity for fear of retaliation. Some said they’ve received threats of being followed home, extreme verbal abuse, racial slurs, and felt intimidated while working.
“I don’t want my name or face associated with vendor enforcement; that does not end well for people,” one speaker, who said he was a senior street inspector and who was wearing a yellow public works department hoodie, camouflage hat, mask, and sunglasses, told supervisors during the meeting. “I’ve worked for the city for more than 13 years, and this is demoralizing ... because it is so upsetting to think about what we go through.”
Multiple commenters mentioned public safety concerns, including receiving death threats, encountering armed individuals, and being exposed to dangerous situations involving drug use and mental illness.
“I wear reflective glasses because I learned from the cops that we go out with that. Even looking at someone who’s selling something they shouldn’t be makes you a target for hostility and aggression,” one person told the supervisors.
Speakers, some with tears in their eyes, pleaded with the board to insist that properly trained individuals with adequate resources be tasked with such enforcement. Many made emotional statements about the effects that the job is having on them and their families.
“I was given a task that, over time, has broken my spirit and my enthusiasm,” Teresa McNamara, a senior street inspector who said she has lived in the city her entire life and worked for it for more than 12 years, said during the meeting. “The problem is the street assignment makes no distinction between legitimate street vendors and armed people with stolen goods.”
Public works management is mandating such assignments but not providing sufficient training to provide the skills and resources needed to handle potentially dangerous situations, she told supervisors.
The department’s street vendor enforcement program began in 2022, with complications arising almost immediately, according to workers.
Some commenters noted incidents involving knives, pipes, and threats of firearms.
“The street vendor enforcement program is ineffectual, counterproductive, and a psychological and physical safety risk,” Alistair Jones, senior street inspector, told supervisors. “They approach us in threatening manners, shoving and pushing us ... even the police escort doesn’t deter this behavior.”
He suggested that a more comprehensive approach to stopping the criminal activity is needed.
“The cycle of crime needs to be addressed by law enforcement before, during, and after our visits,” Mr. Jones said.
Requests for comment from the governor’s office and the San Francisco Department of Public Works weren’t returned by press time.
