The number of unpermitted mobile food vendors operating in Santa Barbara County has grown dramatically over recent years. Many of them prepare their food in unsanitary conditions and lack temperature-controlled storage, and thus threaten public health.
The 2024-25 Santa Barbara County Grand Jury investigated the issue, and has found that unpermitted mobile food vending has become so commonplace that the County of Santa Barbara Health Department no longer has sufficient resources to effectively enforce existing food safety requirements.
Although the Grand Jury’s report focuses on permitting and food safety, other issues caused by mobile food vendors have been identified, including unfair business competition, fire safety risks, and environmental hazards.
While the penalties for illegal food vending have been limited by recent changes in state law, vendors must still comply with food safety laws and obtain health permits from the County of Santa Barbara Health Department.
The Grand Jury calls on the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors to provide the funding necessary to facilitate more frequent inspections of mobile food vendors and ensure enforcement of existing food safety laws. The Grand Jury believes that its recommended actions will help to protect the public from food-borne illnesses.
I think sacjon may be in defense of itinerant barbers who set up as doctors or dentists. After all, they are small time operators and certainly are cheaper than the brick and mortar places that house medical professionals. Caveat emptor.
RHS – if you think medical professionals and the facilities they require to do their jobs are the same as pop up tents, portable grills and salsas, then you’re more ridiculous than you usually sound.
Or….. just don’t increase spending on this and live and let live within our means.
Is this such a public health concern that we need to spend more money on it? Just DON’T EAT THE TACOS.
And if you can’t just let it be, have existing cops on patrol go check their permits. If they don’t have one, cite them.
But no, let’s spend money on trying to think of a way to spend more money on stopping people from trying to support their families and harming no one who doesn’t eat their food.
The venders licenses should be paying for inspections. We all pay when one becomes ill.
RUBY – oh my gosh, I think you might have finally got it! Yes, when someone becomes ill, we all do pay in a way, especially when thousands become ill and use only the ER and urgent care centers for health care. THAT IS EXACTLY why we shouldn’t cut Medicaid. It will costs us all much more!
Rubes, you’ve inadvertently just supported universal healthcare! Way to go!
Too many able bodied scammers and loafers using and not contributing to the system.
Well, that bulb burned out quickly.
Happy to see them regulated like any other business. They are unfair competition for local business, and why they are allowed to just set up on our sidewalks and streets is beyond annoying.
They should be regulated to the extent that they affect the community. Mobile, small, pop up tents and grills don’t need the same level of regulation as brick and mortar restaurants.
Unfair competition? Bull. This is capitalism. If some brick and mortar places want to sell more expensive tacos, that’s on them. Is a lemonade stand unfair competition for a 7-11?
Hey, regulate all you want, but stop spending my money on this.
They don’t need to be held to the same levels of food quality and safety as brick and mortar businesses?? BS. If anything, they need to be regulated more. No adequate refrigeration is an obvious reason, as we’ve all seen. And dumping grease into the gutters and drains. That goes to the ocean, bud. And I agree with others who commented here that it’s unfair competition compared to brick and mortars. You obviously never ran a food-related business and maybe never even worked in one. If you had I’d think you’d be aware of how many barriers, regulations, and requirements they have that a food truck doesn’t. It’s night and day.
Your argument “just don’t eat the tacos!” is so easy to poke holes in. Why should ANY business have health code requirements then if that’s your argument? Anyone could decide to not go eat at ANY business, brick and mortar included. But we do have and do need food heath safety rules and requirements in this country, this state, this county, this city.
If the food trucks don’t need regulation and rules AND people have freedom to not choose them, then tell us this – why should ANY food establishment have ANY health code related responsibility? Let’s just get rid of health codes altogether. That’s where your argument ends up. It’s kind of absurd.
Not talking about food trucks, Doc “Who Thinks a Fibia is Bone” BASIC. We’re talking about the sidewalk pop up stands.
Food trucks are highly regulated. “You obviously never ran a food-related business” – not true and you know you never have.
I’m saying either enforce the permits/regulations with what resources we have or shut them down completely. Stop spending money on something that is so very inconsequential. These pop ups are minimal around here. This is not the problem you pearl clutchers and illiterate doctors think it is.
Yeah, pop up food stands have EVEN MORE reason to be regulated. They rely on ice for refrigeration and have very little capacity to keep food cold. You reinforced my point. Thanks.
And you apparently didn’t get my “fibia” comment was meant to be a joke. I thought it was obvious. Calm down. Get a sense of humor. It a good thing.
I’ve worked in food establishments and know what they go through with the City and County as far as food safety. It’s a lot, and it’s a double standard to give carts free rein to do whatever they want and have zero rules and regulations. It’s anti-business. This ain’t a third world country where anyone can do whatever and we chalk it up to freedom of choice. Where do you think we live?
But hey, I agree to disagree with you…as usual.
BASIC – As usual, you’re making things up so you can “argue” against them. I never saod we shouldn’t regulate these sidewalk vendors. I’m saying it’s not a big enough issue to spend even more money on. We have plenty of cops, let them write tickets as needed. We don’t need a task force or other nonsense for such a minor issue.
If I were you, I’d be focusing more on brushing up on basic anatomy.
This isn’t a job for the SBPD, dude. Health inspectors. County and city folks that may need to get off their butts regularly to do some street work.
But hey, we all know you don’t like the police – the “pigs” as you like to say – and think they’re lazy racists, but they have real hard work to do, and it ain’t policing food carts. Is that the modern Dem idea of how police should spend their time instead of dealing with real crime?
BASIC – I’m going to ask you again, please stop making up absolute BS and then pretend you’re arguing. You sound ridiculous.
Sounds like the only way to do this without people still whining is to just ban all sidewalk vending period. No permits, no inspections, just no more anything. Simple. Do not allow it at all. Yes, that includes lemonade stands and Girl scout cookies too.
By pushing for more regulation (more of our money), you are inviting ICE to harass these sidewalk chefs even more than the local Karens (like RHS) already do. Every time a nosey racist sees them, they call the cops.
Make is safe for everyone and just flat out ban them.
No more tax dollars on “enforcement,” no more tears over tacos that you don’t have to eat.
LOL look at all the Karens out here downvoting any mention of leaving people alone.
Sometimes I forget what SB is actually like.
They all need to be banned. So many potential bad situations just waiting to happen. Ban them all and all problems will be solved.
It must be odd, living in such a simple, black and white world.
Hound, I can’t tell if you’re serious or sarcastic.