There have been a number of questions regarding the status and reporting of street vendors and how to report STR issues so I'm going to repeat/update some of the information I have previously posted. Please remember you can also access any previous blogs/emails by going to our website https://www.missionbeachtowncouncil.org/blog
STREET VENDORS - Street vendors - according to the Sidewalk Vending Ordinance vendors are not allowed anywhere in Mission Beach year round.
Why am I still seeing vendors? The city has ordered Park Rangers not to enforce the ordinance if a vendor claims first amendment rights and the city thinks they have to clarify the ordinance to provide a clear distinction as to what merchandise/activities are protected under the 1st amendment.
The MBTC has protested this action by the city and will continue to do so. Virtually everywhere in the country only merchandise that carries or constitutes a clear political, religious, philosophical or ideological message is protected by the 1st Amendment. You'll have to decide for yourself why the city continues to allow the sale of henna tattoos and caricatures to supposedly handmade jewelry that appears suspiciously alike from table to table.
The last communication we received about this from the Mayor's office was on June 2nd and stated
“Our office has given direction to the City Attorney's Office to begin amending the defined allowed First Amendment uses. This includes preparation of training materials and bulletins, enforcement definitions and protocols, as well as prep work for an eventual Council presentation to address this issue. This effort is being spearheaded by Parks and Rec.”
The process described above will take months at best so do not expect any relief soon.
WHAT TO DO NOW -
Continue to file Get It Done Reports using the "other category". It may seem that the GID reports are not effective but they help establish a historical record so they are very important. After filing you reports forward them to the mayor's office using PAvila@sandiego.gov and to City Attorney Mara Elliott using MElliott@sandiego.gov this will let the mayor and city attorney know we are still paying attention.
Call the Park Ranger Shoreline Duty Office at 858-581-9982 and tell them you are calling to report a street vendor.
In the case of a food vendor also call the County Health Department at 858-505-6900
If you would like to send pictures or other comments to any of our elected officials you can find their contact information here https://www.dropbox.com/s/pv6yra5ojojuay1/Contact%20List%20for%20San%20Diego%20Elected%20Officials%20%28Pages%29%209_12_22.docx?dl=0
STR REPORTING VIOLATIONS - A key thing to remember is the first step in reporting any violation for noise, trash or parking must be to contact the local contact first If the local contact does not respond to the situation with 1 hour then a complaint can be submitted via the Get It Done App or other methods.
To find the local contact information use the following link to a city map where you can search by addresses https://sandiego.maps.arcgis.com/apps/instant/sidebar/index.html?appid=95c57169391d4f1c92aa57448807e2a9
To report a violation after contacting the local contact use the following link https://getitdone.sandiego.gov/TSWNewReport?type=STRO%20Violation
I would recommend that you then separately report issues like noise, parking and trash. You can file noise/nuisance complaints, parking complaints for cars blocking sidewalks, driveways, garages by calling SDPD non-emergency line at (619) 531‑2000 or (858) 484-3154. For trash use the GID app. Noise complaints can be filed any time of day, you do not have to wait until after 10:00 pm.