SAN RAFAEL, Calif. – A story we did last spring is helping illegal food vendors in San Rafael become legal without giving up any of their proud culture. Soon, a lot of illegal food vendors will be able to cook and cash in, not under the cloud of a bust.
An update
San Rafael’s Canal area is a mix of residential, commercial and light industrial uses, with a 90% Hispanic population, many of them low income workers. Last May, we met Omar, a brick and mortar business entrepreneur who, for his personal safety, wanted to be interviewed from the back and said this, “We live in the wild, wild west.”
In the evenings, the Canal Area comes alive with ad hoc, unofficial and currently illegal for vending out of carts and vehicles throughout the neighborhood. “These guys can just open up anywhere, and now we’re not talking about two or three. We’re taking about 20 to 25 guys. It’s definitely chaotic,” said Omar.
Some brick and mortar restaurants, cafés and businesses complain that the street vendors don’t pay license fees like they must, ignore health regulations and allow for too much congestion and noise. “No water to wash their hands. I did get notices of people getting sick. The mess that they leave at the end is now causing rodents to show up,” he said.
A solution?
In an effort to avoid a never-ending Whack-O-Mole enforcement policy, San Rafael and Marin County adopted a three-prong approach. It could replace the catch and fine process.
One: strengthen the City’s enforcement capabilities. Two: illegal food vendors have several paths to getting a legal permit. Three: create a food park or parks, in the Canal Area where they can make and sell safe foods.
“I think it’s a good idea because, for this food, a big problem is the safety things,” said Canal resident Ishmael Hernandez.
The food park seems to be an elegant idea. “A place where they can do all the sanitation that’s needed without having to have a separate, what’s called commissary. That could really make it easier and bring down a lot of barriers for the vendors,” said Marin County Community Development Director Sara Jones.
“They wash their hands, they have safe cleaning and something,” said Hernandez.
Support for the community
In reality, this is an attempt to support Canal culture and Hispanic culture. It’s also an attempt, and a good attempt, to support entrepreneurship.
“We’ve had a great partnership going with the city because we both want to see a successful legal path for food vending, but manage the illegal food vending,” said Jones.
The city is actively looking for suitable spots for such parks for this truly off-the-grid eatery.
