Los Angeles County officials Thursday announced an additional $250,000 investment in the county’s sidewalk vending cart program and recognized seven vendors who completed all program requirements and received no-cost food carts.
Los Angeles County Supervisor Hilda Solis and officials with the Department of Economic Opportunity announced the funding during an event at the Centro Maravilla Service Center Thursday in East Los Angeles.
“Street vendors are an important part of Los Angeles County’s culture and local economy,” Solis said in a statement. “For generations, they have brought entrepreneurship, tradition and connection to communities across our region while creating opportunities for their families. This program helps vendors transition into the formal economy with the tools and support needed to operate safely and grow their businesses.”
According to Solis’ office, the additional funding will pay for 19 integrated grill carts for vendors operating in or near unincorporated communities in the San Gabriel Valley, increasing the county’s total investment in the program to $1.78 million and expanding access to health-code-compliant equipment for sidewalk vendors.
The county said 199 health-code-compliant food carts are being distributed through the program to help vendors meet permitting and health requirements and transition to formal business operations.
Officials said the seven vendors recognized at the event completed the program’s application process, workshops, health inspections and permitting requirements, and secured access to permitted commissary facilities, allowing them to begin operating with the new carts.
“Through this program and its no- and low-cost permits and carts and technical assistance, we are supporting microentrepreneurs in accessing economic opportunity as well as ensuring the health, safety, and well-being of all of our vendors, brick-and-mortar businesses, and community members,” said Kelly LoBianco, director of the Department of Economic Opportunity. “We are excited for these vendors and hope their new carts and stories encourage vendors across unincorporated Los Angeles County and the City of Los Angeles to apply.”
The program was launched following passage of Senate Bill 972 in 2022, which created a statewide health code framework for nonmotorized sidewalk food vending carts and established the Compact Mobile Food Operation category.
County officials said the initiative is intended to reduce financial barriers for vendors seeking California health-code-compliant carts and to help transition sidewalk businesses into the formal economy.
Funded through the American Rescue Plan Act and other local and federal sources, the program provides participants with one-on-one technical assistance, permitting support and subsidies for local and state permits in addition to the carts themselves, officials said.
Vendors may also qualify for permit assistance, grants of up to $5,000 to help cover permitting costs and participation in the county’s Microenterprise Home Kitchen Operation program, which allows eligible vendors to use their homes as commissaries.
Applications for the program opened in January and will remain available while carts remain in inventory, according to county officials.