Street vendors, landscapers and other small businesses in Buena Park may soon see changes in the way they do business as city officials look to crack down on illegal street vending and banning gas-powered lawn equipment to keep up with state laws.
It comes as other Orange County officials in recent years began increasingly regulating street vending, a shift after officials and small shop owners argue the set ups create unfair competition for licensed establishments and cause public health and safety concerns.
[Read: Two More Orange County Cities Crack Down on Street Vendors]
Buena Park’s lawn mower crackdown also comes as officials throughout the state grapple with a new state law that bans the sale of small gas-powered motors.
Now, city staff are developing plan to slowly phase out gas-powered lawn mowers and leaf blowers, trimmers and other equipment being used within the city.
It stems from city officials falling in line with AB 1346 – a bill the state legislature approved a couple years ago banning the sale of small off-road engines commonly found in lawn equipment as of Jan. 1, 2024.
Other cities such as Irvine have implemented bans on gas mowers and other equipment earlier this year.
Gas-powered lawn mowers operating for one hour emit as much smog-forming pollution as driving a midsize sedan 300 miles and one hour of using a commercial leaf blower is equivalent to driving 1,100 miles, according to a city staff report.
“If you got several in your neighborhood it’s very noisy – but the health considerations are mainly what drove me to put this forward,” City Councilmember Art Brown said.
City officials expect replacing four of Buena Park’s gas-powered lawn mowers would cost roughly $400,000.
Mayor Susan Sonne and City Councilwoman Joyce Ahn voiced concerns of creating an equitable transition from gas-powered to all-electric equipment for small businesses and residents.
“I would like to see us including the Climate Action Commission in putting together a plan that would phase this in the most efficient and equitable way possible,” Sonne said at the June 11 meeting.
Echoing the use of the city commission, Ahn directed city staff to focus on finding equipment options that “are affordable and able to accommodate the regular home gardener.”
Despite those concerns, council members said the benefit outweighs the impact on the landscapers.
Street Vendor Crack Down
At the same June 11 city council meeting, Buena Park officials laid the groundwork for a street vending ordinance brought up for City Council discussion back in February.
Matt Foulkes, director of community and economic development at Buena Park, said that no business has secured a street vending permit from the city, despite street vendors openly operating within city limits.
Street vendors need to apply for three separate permits to run their business: a sidewalk vending permit and business license from the city, and a food permit from the Orange County Health Care Agency.
But proponents of street vendors argue the crackdown will impact immigrants and lower-income families living in Buena Park.
Under the current municipal law, code enforcement officers are not allowed to impound any equipment from street vendors even if breaking the law.
Neighboring cities like Anaheim recently amended their codes to allow for confiscation of food or equipment.
[Read: Two More Orange County Cities Crack Down on Street Vendors]
Councilmember Brown said public health is the main issue for city leaders.
He added street vendors also need to adhere to state health and safety codes like other permitted businesses, highlighting concerns of blocking sidewalk access for pedestrians, improper waste disposal and greasing up sidewalks.
“I don’t care who they are. They could be Martians, and if they’re blocking the sidewalk, get ‘em out of there,” Brown said in a June 11 meeting.
Former City Councilmember Jose Castañeda spoke via Zoom during the public comment on the amendment toward street vending, calling out how the city lacks translations on business permits for vendors who don’t speak English.
Currently on the city’s website, the application to apply for a business license can only be downloaded in English.
Councilmember Connor Traut agreed with creating guidelines for public safety, but pushed back on harshly regulating street vendors operating in the city.
Traut said at the same meeting that the city should be “encouraging” street vending, adding that vendors are “an asset to our community.”
Hugo Rios is a Voice of OC intern. Contact him at hugo.toni.rios@gmail.com or on Twitter @hugoriosss
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