Los Angeles County and city officials Monday launched a $2.8 million program to provide more than 280 health-code-compliant food vending carts for sidewalk vendors.
The Sidewalk Vending Cart Program will provide carts as they are built and become available. Applications are now open and will be reviewed on a monthly basis for eligibility and cart type, with a priority based on compliance readiness and locations in high and highest-need areas, according to the county’s Equity Explorer Map.
Applicants will be selected by lottery as well.
As part of the first round, the county and city have 50 hot-holding and 30 cold-holding carts ready to give away with another 40 carts to be manufactured.
Applications may take up 12 weeks for processing. The LA County Department of Economic Opportunity will provide regular updates on awards and distribution.
More information on the program and technical assistance in applying can be found at opportunity.lacounty.gov/sidewalkvendingcarts.
“This program is about more than equipment, it is about economic equity,” Kelly LoBianco, director of DEO, said in a statement. “Sidewalk vendors are vital to our communities, culture, and local economies. With this effort, we are making it possible for hundreds of hard-working vendors to operate safely, legally and sustainably.”
Eligible applicants will be connected to partner organizations such as Inclusive Action for the City, and Initiating Change in Our Neighborhoods Community Development Corporation. Staff from these organizations can provide language assistance, as well as permitting and business support.
Applicants must be 18 years or older, live in the county, be self-employed as a sidewalk vendor, earn less than $75,000 annually from vending, operate within unincorporated areas of LA County or the city, and commit to full compliance with public health and safety regulations, according to the Department of Economic Opportunity.
Carts will only be given once all necessary permits are secured, which may vary depending on jurisdiction.
County and city officials have implemented policies to assist street vendors in response to state laws, SB 946 and SB 972, which amended the California Retail Food Code to create a new permit category called Compact Mobile Food Operation.
The cart program is funded through a combination of American Rescue Plan Act funds and local allocations from the county and city. A minimum of 281 vending carts will be procured with 180 of them designated for the county and 101 for the city.
Supervisors Hilda Solis and Holly Mitchell led efforts on the cart initiative in 2021, 2023 and 2024.
LA County adopted its own Sidewalk Vending Ordinance, which went into effect in August 2024. The ordinance established a formal process for sidewalk vendors to operate legally in unincorporated areas of the county. These vendors must obtain certain requirements such as a sidewalk vending registration certificate, and for food operators, a special permit from the Department of Public Health.
The policies added new costs and permitting requirements. For some street vendors, these policies may act as a financial barrier.
To help low-income individuals, the Board of Supervisors approved a series of measures. This work involved waiving the $604 Sidewalk Vending Registration Certificate fee for the first two years, reducing it to $100 in the third year and offering a 75% fee subsidy for Compact Mobile Food Operation permits. Additionally, the county launched a Small Business Mobility Fund Formalization Grants, which can offset up to $5,000 in additional permitting costs for eligible individuals.