In response to last week’s complaint of illegal street vendors
within the county and city, the board of supervisors was presented
with plans to help prevent residents from buying food from the
vendors.
In response to last week’s complaint of illegal street vendors within the county and city, the board of supervisors was presented with plans to help prevent residents from buying food from the vendors.
During the department head announcement period of the supervisors’ meeting Tuesday, San Benito County Environmental Health Department Manager Vivian Nelson presented her plans for a sticker-based permit program – similar to vehicle registration with the Department of Motor Vehicles.
Nelson held up a paper with a kaleidoscope of colors, and said that a color-squared sticker would tell county workers and county residents that the vendor was permitted to sell food, she said. The stickers would be given to vendors when they applied for their yearly permits.
The colors would change every year.
“It will help the public identify who are permitted to sell food and who is not,” she said in front of the board.
Nelson said the stickers would be around 4 inches by 5 inches, and would be placed in an area visible to everyone. The size would depend on the company that produces the stickers.
The stickers are a cheap and easy way for the county to control the permitting system with its vendors, she said. The stickers would cost, at maximum, $3. The environmental health department is seeking bids for the sticker production.
Supervisor Anthony Botelho praised the idea, calling for more food safety in the county.
“This is a very important issue,” he said.
Botelho did hope there would be an effort to seek out those that sold food illegally, he said.
“I think people who are in business should know better, and have already don’t heir homework,” he said. “They know they need to be properly permitted.”
Nelson explained they couldn’t give out citations – that’s up to the county and city code enforcement officer – but they could educate those that violate the law and destroy the food.
The department’s goal is to have the program implemented by the end of the year, Nelson said. Vendors would not see their permit fees rise, because of the low cost of the stickers.
Currently, mobile street vendors pay $295 for a year permit. On June 25, the permit price will rise to $318.
To get a food permit, vendors are inspected on a regular basis, Nelson said.
“I’m excited about it,” Nelson said. “It will be a good thing for everybody.”
