Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
Available On Air Stations
Watch Live

More complaints about street vendors, this time in Mission Beach. KPBS reporter Jacob Aere says some there want the city to start enforcing an old law against the vendors.

Mission Beach residents call for street vendor ban around Belmont Park

Mission Beach residents and business owners gathered at Belmont Park Tuesday to express their frustrations over street vending.

“We’ve seen this park change from a place where families from all over the city would gather and enjoy one of the most popular beaches in the city, to a place that is overrun and has been taken over by street vendors,” Mission Beach Town Council President Larry Webb said.

Two young men walk past a row of street vendors near Belmont Park, June 14, 2022.
Jacob Aere
Two young men walk past a row of street vendors near Belmont Park, June 14, 2022.

Webb said Municipal Code 63.50, which is from the late 1980s, should prohibit retail and commercial uses in the Mission Beach park area.

Advertisement

“We believe that the city of San Diego has violated the California Coastal Act and the city's municipal code for the last several years by allowing street vending, which is a clear retail use, to take over Mission Beach Park,” he said.

The Mission Beach Town Council said that old law should supersede the ordinance that’s set to go into effect next week in many parts of San Diego.

A street vendor arranges her goods on a table near Mission Beach, June 14, 2022.
Jacob Aere
A street vendor arranges her goods on a table near Mission Beach, June 14, 2022.

According to Webb, that's important because the new ordinance can’t currently be enforced in beach communities due to a lack of approval from the Coastal Commission.

Street vendor Anya Prophet welcomes some of the upcoming rules, saying things have gotten a bit out of hand.

“Last summer it was a lot different,” said Prophet, who braids hair near Belmont Park. “Now people hold their spot … with their tents. And I can see how the community would be upset with that, because it's like they come out here in the morning for jogs and stuff like that and there's all these empty shells.”

Advertisement
Street vendor booths are stationed along the beach side of the boardwalk at Mission Beach, June 14, 2022.
Jacob Aere
Street vendor booths are stationed along the beach side of the boardwalk at Mission Beach, June 14, 2022.

Tony Sanfelice is a Mission Beach resident and a member of the environmental group Don’t Trash Mission Beach. He said garbage in the area has been a growing problem over the past few years.

“To see dirty diapers left in parking lots or buried in the sand, or glass bottles broken purposefully, or fires left, this is a daily onslaught,” Sanfelice said.

Leticia Torres is another street vendor at Mission Beach who agrees with most of the upcoming regulations, but is frustrated with what she calls a lack of respect — and in some cases outright racism — from a few members in the community.

Young girls and boys look at item sold from a street vendor at Mission Bay's Belmont Park, June 14, 2022.
Jacob Aere
Young girls and boys look at item sold from a street vendor at Mission Bay's Belmont Park, June 14, 2022.

“The racist people say you don't pay taxes. And right now we are just coming from the city hall,” she said, showing KPBS the paperwork for her taxes and business permits. “We paid the seller's permit, we have the ID — street vendor — and we have my receipt, everything. We pay taxes.”

People stroll along the boardwalk at Mission Bay Park, June 14, 2022.
Jacob Aere
People stroll along the boardwalk at Mission Bay Park, June 14, 2022.

Torres also said she is not taking any public assistance. "That's why I'm working,” Torres said. “We’re not criminals. No, we’re people. We like to work and I want to work in peace.”

San Diego’s new sidewalk vending ordinance takes effect on June 22.

Tags

As a general assignment reporter, I report on a wide range of different issues that affect the diverse neighborhoods of San Diego County including business, health, arts & culture and politics.
What are issues affecting San Diego's most vulnerable?

KPBS has created a public safety coverage policy to guide decisions on what stories we prioritize, as well as whose narratives we need to include to tell complete stories that best serve our audiences. This policy was shaped through months of training with the Poynter Institute and feedback from the community. You can read the full policy here.