Sen. Scott Wiener’s state bill to allow San Francisco police officers to write citations for illegal street vending got one step closer to becoming law on Tuesday, as the State Senate’s Public Safety Committee voted unanimously to move the bill forward.
Wiener introduced SB 276 in early February after SB 925, his attempt to curb a chaotic and dangerous black market in stolen goods in certain parts of San Francisco, particularly along Mission Street, died in committee last year. On March 19, SB 276 won unanimous support at the State Senate’s Local Government Committee.
“It’s so powerful to see San Francisco residents speak out about how this issue affects them, and advocate for change,” Wiener wrote in a statement. “I’m grateful to see the committee step up to help address the chaos and disruption the fencing of stolen goods has brought to San Francisco Streets.”
The legislation now moves to the State Senate’s Appropriations Committee, which will hear it in mid-May.
For nearly a year, San Francisco officials, law enforcement, members of the Mission Street Vendors Association and local community leaders have been speaking in support of legislation that would allow the police department to cite unpermitted street vendors. At present, a 2018 state law decriminalizing vending statewide, prevents the SFPD from intervening. Enforcement is under the purview of Public Works, whose employees have been threatened while out on the job.
Supporters of Wiener’s legislation say that the 2018 law, SB 946, needs to be amended in a way that will only impact San Francisco. It will only apply to vendors selling items that match a list of frequently stolen goods. Vendors selling food are not affected by the new bill.
Mission Local has been reporting daily on the conditions at the 16th St. BART plazas and nearby streets since Mayor Daniel Lurie and the SFPD announced the start of a criminal crackdown in the area.
Neighbors and business owners have told Mission Local that, despite improvements, the conditions nearby remain an issue. Illegal street vending also persists at the northeast plaza, just across from the police command center. It continues to be an issue at the 24th Street BART station as well.
SB 276 calls for the Board of Supervisors to draft a list of commonly stolen goods across the city. Any vendor who doesn’t have a receipt and is in possession of any of these items will be subject to a three-strike system with infractions for the first two offenses. A third offense will result in another infraction, a misdemeanor or up to six months in jail.
The legislation would not apply to street vendors selling food, or those who carry proof of purchase.
I’ve said it before. I’ll say it again. Why do we allow unpermitted food sales? One of the key features of the 20th Century was health improvements resulting from things like health inspections. That doesn’t matter anymore?
And if I were a restaurant, I’d be pissed that I have to endure inspections, pay employees, pay rent, and pay taxes, while facing competition from people who have none of those burdens.
1, we do have food licensing enforcement, 2, if anyone were getting seriously ill from eating food from these vendors you’d think we’d have heard about it, but we don’t, 3, repeating yourself in a falsehood for rhetorical purposes is actually propaganda, 4, you really think restaurants are losing their shirts in SF because of unlicensed food vendors, really? 5, let’s get real, what’s your REAL reason for being upset about it, hmm? You obviously aren’t one to sample their wares, yet you’re afraid of them making you sick, eh? Seems legit.
Other first-world countries use their police forces to control illegal street vending.
San Francisco progressives prefer to turn our city into a third-world country. But the rest of us would rather have order than chaos. We hope this bill passes.
Oh stop it. The progressives don’t want to turn it into a “third world country.” They want the police to stop being a force of oppression. You’re framing this as a false dichotomy. Get your head on straight.
And are these progressives in the room with us right now?
The article describes a democrat from SF (Weiner) championing a bill to allow the police to do the thing that you want. Who are you mad at here?
Weiner is no Progressive – he wants to redefine the word to describe his existing interests and paid focus. Little people, the disenfranchised, open genocide even, he finds convenient ways to completely ignore and supports PAC efforts to conceal and confuse. Progressives are catching on to his sheep’s clothing.
You think that’s the best use of a police force at about 1/3 required strength manpower, to go around arresting people for petty crimes and just have them be back out on the streets in 24 hours?
Oh yeah & also last I checked PROGRESSIVES AREN’T IN CHARGE, GENIUS.
You had a DECADE of tough “moderate” talk under London Greed, and what do you have to show for it? More of the same, trying to blame anyone else. Goebbels would be proud. Darn Liberals crashing the economy, right Trumpy?
“The legislation would not apply to … those who carry proof of purchase.”
Why is a new law needed for this? If the police suspect I am fencing, they can absolutely seize my goods while they investigate. This is more or less what they are doing with the unhoused when they round them up forty at a time. So why aren’t they doing it here? Are they afraid or incompetent? Anyone have any insight into this?
Hi ML! you know I am sick and tired of all the lies the media is spreading saying how plazas are clean,I admit that it is clean ONLY ON THE WEEKDAYS in the afternoon! I’m gonna start taking videos and pictures of what the plaza across the street looks like after 9 pm. There is nothing but drug deals all the time taking place,bubble-smoking paranoid drug addicts screaming at people ,stolen property being sold right there on side of plaza. I wish I couldve of taken a picture of these drug addicts smoking meth and dealing drugs right outside the windows of the Police Command Center Bus on 16th Mission st Plaza. Where was the Police? what are they doing in that command center? Plaza area is in chaos on week nights, ESPECIALLY ITS CRAZY ON WEEENDS! WHY ISNT MAYOR LURIE AND CREW CLEANING UP THAT MESS ON WEEKENDS??? I live at 1950 Mission St.Apts. and these DISREPECTFUL THIEVES,DRUG ADDICTS ON SATURDAYS AND SUNDAY ARE SMOKING THEY DRUGS SELLING STOLE PROPERTY RIGHT IN FRONT OF OUR DOORWAY WHERE OUR CHILDREN CAN BARELY GET BY SAFELY BECAUSE THERE ARE HUNDREDS OF THESE SORTS BLOCKING SIDEWALKS,DOORWAYS TO OUR BUILDINGS WHERE WE LIVE! IM FED UP WITH THIS WEEKEND “FREE” FOR ALL CIRCUS SHOW,THE CITY MAYOR NEEDS TO DO SOMETHING ABOUT THIS,I BEEN ALMOST ASSAULTED FOR ACCIDENTLY STEPPING ON SOMEBODY STOLEN STUFF. AT 1950 WE RESIDENTS ARE FED UP ,SICK OF THESE REBELS OUT HERE IN FRONT 0F OUR CHILDRENS BEDROOM WINDOWS DOING THEY LAWLESS CRIME keep reporting ML the truth guys! and thank you for all your reporting on the Mission
don’t mess with my taco stands in the Mish.