Testimony: NYC Street Vendor Reform
Good afternoon. Thank you Chair Velazquez and the Committee for the opportunity to testify today. My name is Oksana Mironova and I am a Senior Policy Analyst at the Community Service Society of New York. CSS is a 175-year-old non-profit dedicated to fighting poverty and improving the lives of working New Yorkers. During these two centuries, what has also been constant is that as each new wave of immigrants have arrived in our now diverse city, they have resorted to street vending as a means to find a foothold in the city’s economic ladder. A 2015 study by the non-partisan Institute for Justice found that street vendors contributed $71 million in local, state, and federal taxes, and supported over 18,000 jobs. And yet, the way the City administration treats the street vendors not only marginalizes their existence, but also imposes untold hardship on these hardest working small businesses.
Thus, I am here to request that the City Council act now to ensure a functioning regulatory system for vendors by supporting the passage of Intro 1264 and Intro 1253 with urgency, as part of the Street Vendor Reform legislative package.
Intro 1264 introduced by Council Member Krishnan, reduces the criminal liability on food and merchandise vending, ensures that our city’s smallest businesses face civil, rather than criminal summonses. No one should be at risk of arrest for being 1 inch too far from the curb, or having a box on the ground, especially in an industry comprised of primarily immigrants. Furthermore, it was included as a unanimous recommendation from Mayor Adams’ Street Vendor Advisory Board, which included representatives from city agencies, street vendors, retail food stores, property owners, small businesses, and community organizations.
Siting rules and regulations for licensed and permitted vendors are highly regulated, noting the time, place and manner in which vendors must operate. Intro 1253 introduced by Council Member De La Rosa continues this tradition, but it addresses a critical requirement, that vendors be located 18 inches form the curb, which creates a safety hazard for the vendors, placing them very close to speeding cars, and easily at risk of displacement from longtime vending locations.
In addition, I would also recommend the passage of Intros 1060, 1062, and 1188, all three of which introduce modifications to the administrative code overseeing street vending would make lives easier for our smallest entrepreneurs.
But to effect real change in the street vending industry, the City Council needs to consider deliberating Intro 1270—a bill that would gradually lift the caps on licenses and permits available for vending and thus folding thousands of current vendors into the city and state’s mainstream economy. Today, many would-be entrepreneurs are forced to rely on underground markets or work without a license due to the state of our City’s street vending system, taking advantage of workers, customers, and fellow small businesses. Such a change would allow for better regulation of street vendors while also generating more tax revenue for city and state coffers.
As our City’s smallest businesses, street vendors reflect the great diversity of our communities, and are a true embodiment of the entrepreneurial spirit of our city. Innovating, creating, and investing in our local economies, vendors are out every day to provide for their families and feed their neighbors. Let us take this moment to make it easier for them to succeed.
Thank you again for the opportunity and please reach out to me if you have any further questions.
For questions, please contact Debipriya Chatterjee, Senior Economist at CSS, at dchatterjee@cssny.org.