San Francisco extends street vending moratorium in Mission neighborhood
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SAN FRANCISCO (KRON) — The city extended its 90-day Street Vending Moratorium along Mission Street for an addition six months to “further enhance public safety and cleanliness in the Mission neighborhood,” the mayor announced Monday.
Mayor London Breed’s office pointed to a major drop in crime during the city’s initial 90-day moratorium, which began in November.
Street vendors’ presence and activities along Mission Street caused “unprecedented safety concerns due to unauthorized vending and illegal activities … along one of the City’s busiest transit corridors,” the mayor’s office wrote.
Unpermitted activities involved fencing, selling stolen items, blocking sidewalks, and
other hazards. Illegal street vendors created an environment that was not only dangerous for residents, but also for City Public Works inspectors leading enforcement efforts with the San Francisco Police Department, city officials said.
“The progress in the Mission is evident and a great relief to residents, merchants, and city
workers. We also need to change our state laws around vending. I’m working with mayors across California to propose change to state law to ensure the city can better enforce against fencing of stolen goods,” Breed said.
Operations enforcing the moratorium will continue within a 300-foot radius of the Mission Street Corridor, between 14th and Cesar Chavez streets, seven days a week.
Before the moratorium, police officers regularly seized stolen items and made fencing arrests.
Since the moratorium became effective 10 weeks ago, crime data from SFPD showed a 22 percent decrease in assaults, 46 percent decrease in robberies, and a 23 percent decrease in 311 service requests for street cleaning.
“Residents, shopkeepers and visitors can feel and see a meaningful difference when the City teams are on the ground enforcing the temporary no-vending rule,” said Public Works Director Carla Short.
County Supervisor Hillary Ronen said, “With a moratorium extension, we can continue to build on the progress we’ve made while supporting our legitimate street vendors with wraparound services, marketing, and workforce training.”
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