Street vendors and several community groups have reached a settlement in their lawsuit against the city of Los Angeles that challenged restrictions on vendors around the city as violations of state law.
The Community Power Collective, East Los Angeles Community Corp., Inclusive Action for the City and two vendors reached an agreement on July 16 with the city that will end their 2022 Los Angeles County Superior Court lawsuit. The deal repeals restrictions on vending in locations throughout the city, including areas near swap meets, farmers’ markets and schools, and cancels all vendor citations issued in former vending-exclusionary zones.
The original lawsuit challenged a city ordinance that prohibited sidewalk vending within 500 feet of several popular locations in the city, such as the Hollywood Walk of Fame, Universal Studios, Staples Center / LA Live, Dodger Stadium and Hollywood Park. In February, the City Council terminated most of those no-vending zones voluntarily.
The original complaint also argued that the city’s previous restrictions violated Senate Bill 946, a 2018 state statute that legalized sidewalk vending throughout California.
“For years, vendors have been wrongly ticketed, harassed and traumatized because of the City of L.A.’s discriminatory and unlawful vending restrictions,” Katie McKeon, an attorney with the Western Center on Law & Poverty, said in a statement emailed to the Southern California Record. “This settlement ends these harmful practices and provides some justice to vendors by canceling all related citations and reimbursing vendors for any fines paid. We are encouraged that the city is now committed to complying with state law and is adopting policies that respect and support the vital role vendors play in our communities.”
Under the terms of the agreement, the city will reimburse the plaintiffs for their attorney fees and legal costs incurred during the lawsuit proceedings. And the petitioners will be able to file future legal actions against the city if they feel city officials are not abiding by the agreement’s terms and conditions.
Representing the plaintiffs in the litigation were the Arnold & Porter law firm, Public Counsel and the Western Center on Law & Poverty.
“The city neither admits nor denies whether the citations relating to the issues identified in the lawsuit were properly issued,” the agreement states. “Nothing in this agreement shall be interpreted as an admission of liability by the city.”
The settlement also voids all citations issued to sidewalk vendors from Jan. 1, 2019, to July 16 of this year in the no-vending zones that were terminated by the City Council.
“This settlement sends a very clear message that arbitrary vending bans are illegal and untenable,” said Doug Smith, senior director of policy and legal strategy at Inclusive Action for the City. “Thanks to the advocacy of vendors and this legal victory, L.A.’s no-vending zones are gone, citations are being wiped from vendors’ records and fines are being refunded in full.”
Though the settlement has been finalized by the parties, it still needs the formal endorsement of the City Council and Mayor Karen Bass. That’s expected to happen next month, and city officials will then have 90 days to fully implement the terms of the settlement, according to Public Counsel.