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File #: 25-433    Name:
Type: Report/Regular Status: Agenda Ready
File created: 10/9/2025 In control: City Council
On agenda: 10/15/2025 Final action:
Enactment date: Enactment #:
Title: Receive Presentation on Sidewalk Vendor Regulations and City Enforcement Practices (CA)
Date Action ByActionResultAction DetailsMeeting DetailsVideo
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AGENDA TITLE:                                                                                                                                                                                             

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Receive Presentation on Sidewalk Vendor Regulations and City Enforcement Practices (CA)

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MEETING DATE:                     

October 15, 2025

 

PREPARED BY:                     

William Baird, Deputy City Attorney and Katie Lucchesi, City Attorney

 

recommendation

RECOMMENDED ACTION:

Receive a presentation on sidewalk vendor regulations and City enforcement practices.

 

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BACKGROUND INFORMATION:

Senate Bill 946 (“SB 946”) took effect January 1, 2019, and was the first major state legislation focused on decriminalizing sidewalk vending. Consistent with SB 946, the City adopted Lodi Municipal Code (LMC) Chapter 9.19 on October 17, 2018, to match the allowed Side Walk Vending parameters in the new state law and this version of the LMC is still in place today.

 

Then in 2022, the California Legislature passed Senate Bill 972 (“SB 972”), further restricting the ability of cities to regulate food vendors in an attempt to reduce and streamline the process for food vendors to get the required county and city approvals for food vending permits. The bill provided that counties could approve a food cart design which meets safety requirements, in lieu of approving individually manufactured carts. The legislature’s hope is that by easing the process to come into compliance with the law, it will incentivize greater compliance than currently exists. SB 972 also further limited the criminal enforcement of vending regulations to just warnings for the first offense and limited administrative citations.

 

However, the state law continues to evolve and Governor Newsom most recently signed Senate Bill 635 on October 7, 2025 (“SB 635”). SB 635 now also prohibits an agency or department that regulates street vendors or compact mobile food operations (“CMFOs”), or enforces sidewalk vending regulations, from collecting citizenship or criminal background data, and limits the activities that a local government can do related to immigration enforcement.

 

This presentation is intended to inform Council on the current state laws and LMC provisions for Sidewalk Vendors, identify public health and safety concerns related to noncompliant vendors, and describe the City’s current enforcement practices. Staff will also share information on the collaborative efforts across City Departments and with the San Joaquin County Environmental Health Department to address these concerns and possible next steps to ensure compliance with state and local regulations.

 

Therefore, staff recommends that the Council receive the presentation on Sidewalk Vendor regulations and City enforcement practices.

 

STRATEGIC VISION:

7G. Public Safety: High levels of community involvement by public safety employees.

 

FISCAL IMPACT:

Not applicable.

 

FUNDING AVAILABLE:

Not applicable.