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Q&A
Impact of licensing all eligible street vendors on enforcement
1:14:41
·
65 sec
Council Member Sanchez explores how licensing all currently eligible street vendors would affect the Department of Sanitation's enforcement work.
- Licensed vendors are reported to have more productive interactions with enforcement officers
- Enforcement can focus more on corrective actions and education with licensed vendors
- Unlicensed vendor interactions are often limited and less productive
- The department notes uncertainty about whether changing the license cap would affect the total number of vendors on the street
Pierina Sanchez
1:14:41
Thank you.
1:14:43
If every eligible street vendor had access to a license, every vendor that is out in the street today, how would this affect your work as an enforcement agency?
1:15:01
Exactly.
1:15:40
Thank you.
1:15:42
May I chair ask just one more follow-up of sanitation?
Joshua Goodman
1:14:52
So the question is, just to make sure I understand the question, you're talking about no net increase in vendors, just making sure that everyone who's there today is licensed?
1:15:02
Generally speaking, our interactions with licensed vendors are far more productive than our interactions with unlicensed vendors.
1:15:08
We're able to work with them on corrective action around hey, you can't leave this here.
1:15:14
This is a little too big.
1:15:16
You're allowed to vend on that side of the street but not this side.
1:15:19
Can you head back over?
1:15:20
We're able to connect them to resources like from the health department to make sure that all food safety regulations are followed.
1:15:27
Whereas with an unlicensed vendor the conversations are often extremely limited.
1:15:32
The only thing I'll just flag is that we don't know whether any change to the cap does lead to a change in the number of vendors on the street.
Julie Menin
1:15:44
Ask as many as you want.
1:15:45
That's fine.
1:15:46
Not a problem.