Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass has formally directed the LAPD to stop issuing criminal citations to unpermitted street vendors, cementing the city’s hands-off approach to thousands of illegal food stands that have proliferated in recent years, according to a Breitbart News report.
The announcement this week follows a Breitbart News investigation last month that exposed widespread non-enforcement of food safety laws, with unpermitted migrant-run stands operating freely while licensed restaurants and food vendors face fines, fees, and closure. Bass’s office told the California Post on Thursday that the mayor “stands firmly with street vendors” and has ordered police to back off.
“Street vending is a quintessential part of LA’s world-class food scene and a livelihood for thousands of hardworking Angelenos. Supporting LA’s street vendors is more important than ever given ongoing attacks by ICE,” her office said.
Critics argue the policy creates a two-tier system: undocumented vendors get a pass, while law-abiding citizens must follow every rule or pay the price.
By the numbers: A permitting system in tatters
Breitbart News reported in July that an estimated 50,000 vendors operate across Los Angeles, yet fewer than 700 hold active permits—and just 53 of those are for food vendors. The vast majority operate outside the law, without the required city vending permit (renewed annually) or the county health permit that mandates refrigeration, sanitation stations, and other basic food safety measures.
The lack of enforcement has real-world consequences. Breitbart’s investigation highlighted an operation near Venice Beach where cooked chopped beef sat in an open plastic tub in the hot sun, inches from passing cars. County health officials have logged nearly 3,000 food poisoning complaints in 2025, and suspect many more go unreported.
When illness strikes, undocumented operators are typically uninsured and can vanish without accountability.
County and police: No one is enforcing
The Los Angeles County Health Department last fall suspended enforcement against noncompliant vendors, citing Trump administration immigration crackdowns. The county told Breitbart it had shifted focus to “target the larger organizations that control many street-level operations” and go after “unpermitted central food preparation and distribution hubs.”
But that claim appears overstated. When Breitbart contacted the District Attorney’s Office earlier this month, a spokesman said the office only runs a monthly “Street Vending Workgroup” to discuss issues. “Currently, our Bureau of Investigation does not participate in enforcement operations,” communications chief Venusse Dunn said, directing questions to the LAPD—which is now officially off the case per Bass’s order.
Legal vendors feel the squeeze
Licensed vendors say they’re being squeezed out. Anthony D’Eugenio, a gourmet hot dog cart operator in West Hollywood, told Breitbart his annual revenue has plummeted from $100,000 to $30,000 because of illegal vendors, many of them controlled by Latin gangs. He called Bass’s decision “shameful” and an affront to legal operators who pay over $1,000 annually for insurance, tax permits, and a $750 operating permit.
“They punish hardworking people and reward the criminals,” he said.
Public sentiment echoes that frustration. One social media user with the handle KingOf98580 wrote: “Imagine putting your life savings into opening a restaurant. You do everything legally, pay rent, employees, taxes, business licenses, and a street food vendor pops up across the street with no overhead, no license, cash only, and undercuts your business. L.A. city officials suck.”
Political fallout: Bass vs. Raman
Bass’s policy puts her at odds with Councilwoman Nithya Raman, her opponent in November’s mayoral election. Raman has argued the city should make it easier for vendors to obtain permits and enter the legal system, rather than leaving large numbers of operators outside it, the Post reported.
The tent canopies and smoky grills of unpermitted stands have also become a visual blight on neighborhoods and business districts, contributing—along with homelessness and litter—to what some describe as a Third World streetscape in America’s second-largest city.
The debate is far from over, but for now, the message from City Hall is clear: If you’re in the country illegally and operating a business illegally, you get a free pass. If you’re a citizen, you follow the rules or face consequences.
Source: www.breitbart.com — https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2026/08/28/mayor-karen-bass-hands-off-thousands-migrant-food-vendors-operating-illegally-l-a/