When Ada Lisseth Dafne Davis started baking empanadas in 2020 as a way to keep her mind off of the COVID-19 pandemic, she had no idea she’d eventually own a small business selling them at community events.
Davis’ parents moved in with her last year, which made her realize that she’d need extra income to support them. To her, selling empanadas just made sense because her parents knew the recipe and they could do it together.
But the process of becoming a legal street vendor proved arduous as she tried reaching out to local government officials for guidance several times. Each time, she said she was turned away or discouraged.
“As soon as I reached out, it was a huge wall right in front of me,” she said.
Davis recounted a phone call with an official who told her she couldn’t continue being a food vendor without a food truck, which she now knows is false. That eventually led her to give up her dream.
“I was scared,” she stressed. “I didn’t want to be in trouble because I have my regular job.”
But Davis’ dream was rekindled after visiting an Old Sacramento event in November and speaking with a Peruvian street vendor who directed her to the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. The chamber had recently started its Street Vendor Bootcamp pilot program aimed at educating aspiring street vendors on how to get permits and walking them through the process of starting a business.
Davis went to one of these bootcamps, which she said was one of the best decisions she’s ever made.
“It had so much information that street vendors don’t know that is very helpful for them to achieve their goals, which is to get the permits they need like the health permit, which is the most difficult one,” she said.
A Mi Estilo Peruvian Delights Saturday, Feb. 22, 2025, in Sacramento.(Gerardo Zavala/CapRadio)
The chamber also helped her realize that she needed a different permit that would allow her to be a temporary food vendor at community events, which led to Davis’ business — A Mi Estilo Peruvian Delights — becoming a new addition to the Midtown Farmers Market.
“All of that information that the guy at the beginning told me. That was misinformation,” Davis said. “There are a lot of options for people that don’t have enough income who are just starting to build their businesses to be able to get it legally, not in the shadows, running or being scared.”
Cathy Rodriguez Aguirre, the chamber’s president and CEO, said they launched the bootcamp in August 2024 to avoid situations like this. The program provides education and resources on everything from code enforcement compliance and business operations to social media and marketing.
“What we heard from a lot of them is they kind of got lost in the system,” Aguirre said. “They didn’t really understand where to go, or once they went to get their permit it was either a whole different building or another desk, and it just got cumbersome for them.”
Through the program, Aguirre said the chamber has been able to streamline the process for participants, which has already led to some of the 60 businesses who have attended successfully becoming permitted.
A beef empanada from A Mi Estilo Peruvian Delights Saturday, Feb. 22, 2025, in Sacramento.(Gerardo Zavala/CapRadio)
Street ordinance changes
Last month, the Sacramento County Board of Supervisors unanimously approved new ordinances they claim will better regulate sidewalk vending by enhancing public health, safety and compliance.
The ordinances, which include changes to permit guidelines and allowed areas of operation, went into effect at the start March. Street vendors in Sacramento County are now required to have a health permit and a business permit and could face increasingly expensive fines for not having either.
Additionally, the county prohibited certain areas for sidewalk vending including patio dining areas, driveways and roadways. Sidewalk vending at regional parks will also be restricted to designated areas and times “to preserve public access to natural and recreational resources.”
The county said it will focus on education to ease the transition and has partnered with the Office of Economic Development, Code Enforcement, Park Rangers and the Sheriff’s Office to inform vendors about the new rules.
That makes the chamber’s role even more important as street vendors, many of whom are Hispanic, look to becoming permitted to avoid fines. Aguirre said the chamber is adding information about the new guidelines to their next bootcamp curriculums to ensure participants are up to date on what they need to know.
When asked how these ordinance changes will affect street vendors, Aguirre said it’s too soon to know what problems will arise.
“There might be a little bit of change when people have to move to a different location [but] most of them are very well versed in using their social media to let people know where they are when they change spots,” Aguirre said regarding street vendors who had to change locations after the new ordinance went into effect. “If anything this might be even more helpful because they’ll be able to say, ‘We’re always here because now we’re following these guidelines and this is where we can be.’”
However, not all street vendors are excited about these changes. Martha Medina is a street vendor from Los Angeles who recently visited the Midtown Farmers Market in Sacramento. She said that keeping up with the ordinance changes and remaining compliant can be stressful.
“We’re here to make money and we’re just asking to be given the opportunity to work,” she said.. “There’s a dream in everybody, especially us street vendors. We’re not asking for nothing free, we’re just here to provide and for people to taste our culture.”
Medina and her sister run a food truck called Maria’s Delight in Los Angeles and hopes to one day open a restaurant. She said the increase in complaints about street vendors in recent years from restaurant owners and others is uncalled for.
“Not everybody has the opportunity to start with their own restaurant,” she highlighted. “A great restaurant starts from a food vendor.”
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