Thread: Suggestions for stopping shopping cart vendors?

I live on a street in Long Beach which is almost entirely hispanic. Every day no less than 3 different shopping cart vendors with their horn go down our street selling a variety of foods. Of course, no business licenses, health permits, proper refridgeration etc. Just a stolen shopping cart and an obnoxious horns. I've tried calling the police by but by the time they get here the guys have moved on to the next street. Tried calling the health department and they just say that they have too few people to catch everyone doing this. It feels like I'm living in a 3rd world. Mayor Villaraigosa was seen on the news stating that these vendors are "just trying to eek out a living"...so clearly he's no help. If I were not in such a minority on our street I would go out and confront these people myself, but I don't want my house to get vandalized because my neighbors all buy from these guys.

Can anyone suggest anything to help stop these people? It's getting really frustrating here!

Thanks

Well, there are only a few options, and you seem to have exhausted the best ones. If the police or other enforcement agencies refuse to do anything then you're probably out of luck. I suppose that you could go out as if you're going to buy something and ask them to see their license, y'know, "just to be safe." When they say that they don't have permits, say something like, "Oh man, well good luck. That guy that was here the other day got arrested and deported in that sting operation the LAPD has been running around here..."

That may or may not work, but it's worth a shot.

Originally Posted by CrocketsGhost

Well, there are only a few options, and you seem to have exhausted the best ones. If the police or other enforcement agencies refuse to do anything then you're probably out of luck. I suppose that you could go out as if you're going to buy something and ask them to see their license, y'know, "just to be safe." When they say that they don't have permits, say something like, "Oh man, well good luck. That guy that was here the other day got arrested and deported in that sting operation the LAPD has been running around here..."

That may or may not work, but it's worth a shot.

like the ideas. btw. street vendors in some cities (like dallas) have health registrations at the city courthouse. You can go ask to see one and provide photo evidence... then they will be forced to do something about it.

Ice Cream Trucks! I've got music playing Ice Cream Trucks.

Dixie

SaveCalifornia,

I live in San Bernardino County, just outside(north) of San Bndo,
LA Mayor Antonio Villaragosa is an air head. He loves illegals and he`ll do anything for them.

We had the same problem in our community. What they`re doing is called "Hawking". The ones to report this to is "CODE ENFORCEMENT".
either city or county Code Enforcement which ever area your in.
Is Long Beach in LA county, or Ventura?

If you live in the City, which "Ward" are you in? If you live in the County which "District"are you in? These are things you should know in order to contact the proper authorities that represent or control that area.
But Code Enforcement control the complete county and City.

They`er no longer around this area. Code Enforcement chased them out. They`er always watching for this type of violation.
Start attending your Community Advisory Meetings, it helps, and an officer from code enforcement will show up at the meeting.

You could also call the County Board of Supervisors, but they would propably refer you to Code Enforcement.

Check your City or County Website, you`ll find code enforcement on there and I`m sure you`ll find that "Hawking" is on their agenda.

Just keep reporting it and they will have to come out and investigate the problem.

mkfarnam...
Long Beach is Los Angeles county. I found a couple of code enforcement phone# on the city website that I will try calling tomorrow. Didn't find anything specific to the shopping cart issue. Maybe I should hire some large guys and start a business "recovering" shopping carts from these vendors and returning them to the local grocery stores!

http://keepstuff.homestead.com/IllegalV ... eport.html

ILLEGAL VENDING IN LOS ANGELES



There are many shortcomings in the way the LAPD tries to control illegal street vending. The most obvious of all, is that there is no deterrence built into the way the problem is handled -- no one is arrested, fined, or punished in any way that will deter the offenders from going back to illegal vending the next day.



The LAPD conducts occational sweeps requiring logistics to coordinate an entourage consisting of different agencies, similar to the military preparations of the allied forces before an invasion on D-Day.



Typically, the entourages consist of three officers of the DBS (Department of Building and Safety), seven LAPD officers, and a trash truck operator. Considering that these sweeps hardly put any dents in illegal vending, it seems not to be cost effective.



On one sweep, I was allowed to video record the events as long as no DBS or LAPD officers were in the shots (no explanations was given).



Following is a catechismal report on the sweep.



Q) (to DBS officer). Don't you need a search warrant to enter someone's property?

A) No, only the police need a warrant. We don't need one because it is a health issue.





Q) (to DBS officer). Aren't health issues handled by the health department?

A) Yes, but the DBS also handles these kind of health issues.



Q) (to DBS officer). You seem to be doing everything including the writing of citations. Why do you need police with you?

A) To protect us -- they carry guns, we don't.



Q) (to DBS officer). Why do you need seven LAPD officers? They just are standing around chatting.

A) How many police are here, isn't up to me.



Q) (to DBS officer). Why didn't you cite the guy in charge in the first and third house, but you did cite the guy in charge in the second house?

A) Because the guy in the second house was warned before. This is the second time we busted him, so he was cited.



Q) (to DBS officer). I noticed that there seemed to be safety violations at the houses, especially the second house which had obvious electrical and sanitation violations and was so filthy, that it appeared to me to be uninhabitable for the many occupants including a toddler. Why don't you cite the slumlords that own these houses?

A) We didn't come here for that today.



Q) (to DBS officer by LAPD officer) How often can you guys do these sweeps?

A) We can do them anytime you guys (Block Captains) want us to.



Q) (To LAPD officer). I noticed that when the DBS officer cited the second guy, the second guy didn't have any ID. What information did the DBS officer use?

A) He took the second guy's word for it and assumed he was telling the truth about his name and that he was the renter of the house.



Q) (To LAPD officer). I was told that if the suspects didn't have IDs, that you would arrest them. Why wasn't this guy arrested?

A) We just don't have the resources to arrest and book vendors. And besides, the prosecutor won't prosecute anyway.



Q) (To LAPD officer). So if an illegal vendor knows that if he doesn't carry an ID, he is guaranteed impunity. Is that right?

A) Well as you can see, they are sometimes issued a citation which requires them to go to court.



Q) (To LAPD officer). How do you know that the vendor is giving you his right name and address?

A) We don't. They are probably illegal aliens who don't have proper IDs.



Q) (To LAPD officer). What's the probability that they will show up in court?

A) I don't know, that's not my responsibility.



Q) (To LAPD officer). So what do you do if they don't show up in court?

A) I don't know, that's not my responsibility.



Q) (To LAPD officer). Why not have an INS officer with you?

A) The illegals would panic and scatter. We wouldn't have control.

(This absurd answer is typical LAPD spin)



Q) (To LAPD officer). Forget vendors for a moment. What do you do if you stop someone for a traffic infraction who doesn't have an ID?

A) We impound their car.



Q) (To LAPD officer). What if the car was just stolen?

A) We wouldn't know it if it had not yet been reported as stolen.



Q) (To LAPD officer). Let me get this straight. Suppose that I am a serial killer who just stole a car and did not have an ID with me, and you stopped me for speeding. If you impounded the stolen car I was driving, you would then simply let me go?

A) Yes, most of the time you would get a free pass.



Q) (To LAPD officer). Under what conditions would you arrest someone who did not have an ID?

A) Only if the suspect had an attitude problem or made verbal threats and I had the time.



Q) (To LAPD officer). So if I am a smart serial killer, I would know that I should never have an ID on my person and I should be polite to LAPD police officers?

A) Right.



Q) (To LAPD officer -- asked the same question as before). How will you or the DBS know if the second guy who was cited, shows up in court?

A) We don't. Once our work here is finished, it's out of our hands unless we are called as a witness.



When an ice cream vendor, was busted at Sylvan Elementary School, his supply of ice cream was thrown in the trash truck. And since he didn't have a license from the county health department, the cart was confiscated (if they have a county health license, then the ice cream is destroyed, but the cart is released to the vender who goes on his way).



Q) (To LAPD officer). You just confiscated the vendor's cart, but you didn't cite him. How will that deter him from illegally vending again?

A) The owner of the cart will be cited when he shows up to get his cart out of impound.



Q) (To LAPD officer). Do you really believe that the owner will show up to retrieve his cart?

A) I don't know



OPINION SUMMARY:

There seems to be lack of leadership and policy on how to handle Los Angeles law violators who do not carry IDs. I was shocked that murderous felons can get away with crime if they know enough not to carry IDs.



One should not forget that it is also illegal to vend goods other than food, thus it would seem that enforcement of illegal vending is not always a health issue. Since illegal vending takes place at times that do not coincide with the DBS non-overtime hours and non-working weekends, it is clear that the primary enforcement should lie directly with the LAPD.



The LAPD is not regarded by illegal vendors, as a threat. Illegal vendors know that they can go right back into business after being busted. Loss of equipment such as shopping carts, home made carts, or the boss's ice cream cart does not deter the individual vendor from going back into business the next day. The "friendly to illegal vendors" LAPD sends the message that it is virtually legal to be illegal.



In a letter to then Chief Parks I asked him to you explain why INS officers are not invited on these busts. Parks never answered.



Illegal vending will never be controlled unless the LAPD gets serious about enforcing the law. The bottom line is that to eliminate illegal vending, illegal vendors who do not have proper IDs will have to be arrested in a proactive way or arrested when a citizen complains.




Click here to view illegal vendors selling uninspected food to children



Click here to watch video of how food is prepared for vending

We had some success out here in Sacramento recently with this,

But it takes committment. I actually followed the vendors to their lairs and then provided the health department the videos and pictures via their website. I also followed up on the emails. Also, I sent the videos and pics to anyone who had recieved a health department citation. Some counties still post them weekly. What this does is provide the ticketing agents with some annoyance by the legitimate businesses who then ask "Why are these others allowed to do this"? It took only a few short weeks after that. The area around the day labor site went from 3 shopping cart taco-tamale vendors to none.

Geez... that's so frustrating to people like me to try to obey the law and still provide for my family. If I went around breaking the law I'd be in a world of hurt because I own a house, a car, drive with a legal driver's license, insurance on house and car, a job, a SS#, the IRS knows where I live.....etc...all these avenues that would be used to make my life hell, and things that would be quickly taken away from me if I went around ignoring the law, not carrying ID and then not showing up in court. GRRRRRR!