San Francisco state Senator Scott Wiener and Mayor Daniel Lurie announced the reintroduction of a bill allowing police enforcement against illegal street vending of stolen goods at a Mission Street location Feb. 3.
The bill, if passed, would allow for enforcement against repeat violations as a misdemeanor. That means turning over the enforcement of violations to the police and possible jail time. The Department of Public Works otherwise enforces violations.
San Francisco issued a moratorium on street vending in the Mission in late 2023 after concerns surfaced over increased sales of stolen goods by unlicensed vendors, whose presence sharply increased after the pandemic. The items they sell range from personal care products to meats stolen from retail outlets, and the problem exists hand in hand with organized retail theft issues.
The problem also brought deteriorating street conditions and an increase in violence. In early November of that year, several Department of Public Works employees, some wearing masks, used public comment time at the Board of Supervisors to plea for protection from stolen goods sellers. During this time, the city also launched a heavily supervised and limited permit program for legitimate sellers. Despite these measures, the flagrant sale of stolen goods continues on Mission Street.
“I want to be clear, we’re not talking about the amazing beautiful street vending that happens in the mission and in various parts of our city, where people sell their prepared food and flowers and crafts and other wonderful products,” Wiener said at the Monday press conference, which took place at the offices of CLECHA, a Latine business support nonprofit. “We’re talking about the sale of stolen goods. These fencing operations fuel retail theft because that’s where they get the stolen goods, and they drive out legitimate street vendors now living in fear, and undermine public safety. It needs to stop.”
“This bill will give San Francisco the tools we need to crack down on retail theft, with accountability for those who illegally resell stolen goods. It will target the issue directly, allowing law enforcement to issue citations and eventually misdemeanors, and most importantly confiscate those goods,” Mayor Lurie told reporters. “Let’s be clear. This bill will not punish the vast majority of street vendors who are part of the fabric of our city. In fact, it will protect those vendors from criminal organizations fueling this dangerous fencing activity.”
The new bill follows up on legislation Wiener submitted in June 2024, which had the blessing of then-Mayor London Breed and then-District 9 Supervisor Hillary Ronen. However, that bill ended up dying in committee, a mishap Wiener attributed to time constraints.
In addition to representatives of the street vendor community, newly elected supervisors Danny Sauter and Bilal Mahmood were present to show support for the bill. Notably absent was Supervisor Jackie Fielder, who has succeeded Ronen as the Mission’s representative. The Voice has reached out to her office for comment.
