NBC 7’s Artie Ojeda checked out Balboa Park, which is now void of street vendors.
Street vendors will no longer be able to station themselves at Balboa Park beginning Wednesday as a new ordinance that requires sidewalk vendors and pushcart operators to have permits goes into effect.
The Sidewalk Vendor Ordinance, which was approved by San Diego City Councilmembers earlier this year, will have street vendors out of the iconic park for the summer. The city said park rangers will take an education-first approach for enforcement to give vendors a warning of the changes before they face any citations.
Pushcart operators and sidewalk vendors must pay $38 annually for a permit to sell their merchandise in San Diego. City staff initially recommended the new permit fee be as high as $230 per business, but negotiations in council chambers brought that number down to the same as a business tax certificate in the city.
Get top local stories in San Diego delivered to you every morning. >Sign up for NBC San Diego's News Headlines newsletter.
Food vendors are also required to obtain a San Diego County Health Permit and Food Handler Card.
The ordinance also requires vendors to be at least 15 feet from one another, 50 feet from a major transit stop and 100 feet from any sidewalk or street closure.
In addition to Balboa Park, Little Italy and Gaslamp Quarter will also be off-limits to these merchants. Beach communities, for now, will be unaffected since the new measures will require approval from the California Coastal Commission, first.
