Mission food vendors say new S.F. rules could burn them

"Mission District street food vendors say new regulations drafted by the Department of Public Health could run them out of business. "Our community is already living with so much uncertainty, costs have risen and our stability is fragile," said Rosi Villanueva, in Spanish. Villanueva was one of two dozen street food vendors who gathered on Tuesday for a rally at the 24th Street BART station."

"The new regulations were prompted by state legislation that passed in 2022, SB 972, which essentially decriminalized food vending in California. The law was meant to bring street food vendors - many of whom are immigrants - out of the shadows and into a position where they could operate openly as permitted food vendors. Although SB 972 went into effect three years ago, San Francisco is only now putting in place regulations to come into compliance."

"But the new regulations, Mission District vendors said, will cost them thousands of dollars. The most costly changes include obtaining a pushcart with a washing station and doing most cooking at a certified commissary kitchen. Vendors estimated those additions alone would cost as much as $40,000. Villanueva, who sells snacks at 24th and Mission, said her profit margins were too small to afford such changes. "The carts they're asking for are too expensive," said Villanueva. "We just don't have the resources.""

New regulations drafted by the Department of Public Health could force Mission District street food vendors out of business by imposing expensive requirements. The changes stem from SB 972, passed in 2022, which decriminalized food vending and aimed to allow vendors to operate openly as permitted food sellers. San Francisco is only now adopting regulations to comply. Vendors say required pushcarts with washing stations and mandatory use of certified commissary kitchens could cost about $40,000, far beyond their profit margins. Vendors rallied at the 24th Street BART plaza and called for city, BART and organizational support and collaboration.

Read at Mission Local