West Hollywood has tried. The City sends out three to four code enforcement officers on overtime. It adds six to seven sheriff’s deputies. It deploys security ambassadors. It sets a perimeter around the Rainbow District. It runs the operation until the early morning hours.
Then the team packs up.
“The minute that team pulls in or takes a break, they’re right back out there,” Danny Rivas said Monday night.
Towards the end of Monday’s Public Safety Commission meeting, Commissioner Kelly Pilarski had a question about unlicensed street vendors. She asked Rivas, the City’s director of community safety, “what are we allowed to do?” Rivas gave the Public Safety Commission a candid accounting of just how limited the City’s options are when it comes to unlicensed street vendors and why the problem is not going away anytime soon.
The short answer is state law.
A 2019 change removed the ability for cities to issue notices to appear in court for unpermitted street vending. What had been a misdemeanor was decriminalized. The only enforcement tool left is an administrative fine. And the only consequence of not paying that fine is a potential hit to your credit score.
“Most folks aren’t concerned about their credit score being impacted,” Rivas said.
The change also eliminated law enforcement’s ability to demand identification from an unpermitted vendor. Deputies and officers lost tools they once had. And the vendors know it.
“A lot of the unpermitted street vendors are very well versed when it comes to state law,” Rivas said. “They will video our code enforcement officers. They will video our sheriff’s deputies all the time.”
Others positioned nearby intervene when officers approach, attempting to agitate and provoke a reaction on camera.
The Operations
The City has run coordinated enforcement operations since January — two weekends in January, two in February, a gap in March, and another operation just this past Friday and Saturday. Rivas said he and Lt. Ashley Turner have both been out personally until 4 a.m. during those operations, along with Sgt. Luvano.
One code enforcement officer works until 4 a.m. Thursday through Sunday. But that person covers the entire city. When officers approach, vendors don’t wait around. Most walk away. Some push their carts. Some run into the street.
“Nobody’s chasing down any unpermitted street vendors,” Rivas said.
Business owners along the boulevard see the operations and appreciate them, he said. The problem is what happens next. “They’re right back into the same location in front of the same businesses,” Rivas said. The City has had a street vending business license process available for some time. Extremely few people use it.
Alcohol Is Different
Commissioner Catherine Eng asked whether the law treats hot dog vendors and alcohol vendors the same. Rivas said it does not.
Selling alcohol without an ABC license remains a criminal matter. The City coordinates with state Alcohol Beverage Control agents, who have run plain-clothes operations in West Hollywood. One individual cited for street alcohol sales several months ago has not been seen since.
“Believe me, the businesses are in direct contact with myself and our code enforcement team, as well as our sheriff’s station,” Rivas said. “They would let us know.”
Go After the Trash and Dumping 
Commissioner Kimberly Winick raised a potential workaround. Business owners have complained that vendors dump cooking grease and food waste into planters outside storefronts at the end of the night. Littering laws and nuisance codes still apply, she noted — even if the vending itself can’t be stopped.
“Perhaps, instead of going after people for unlicensed vending, look at the ancillary conduct,” Winick said. “Figure out if there is a way to cite them for the ancillary nuisance or trash, or whatever they’re doing, that is the real problem.”
Rivas said it’s a valid approach. The catch is the same one that runs through all of this.
“It couldn’t be, like, an after-the-fact type thing,” he said. “The officer needs to observe that occurrence at the time.”
Staff has used photos from business owners to educate repeat vendors — flagging regulars with a direct warning that observed dumping will be addressed. But in most cases, Rivas said, the call comes in after the fact.
He told commissioners the problem is not unique to West Hollywood. Santa Monica, Inglewood, Hollywood — cities with active nightlife and late-night foot traffic are all dealing with the same state framework and the same results.
“Until there is some changes that occur at the state level,” Rivas said, “it’s just gonna continue to be very, very difficult.”
Related Coverage
Hang’s Hot Dog Bill Stalls In West Hollywood After Hot Dog Cart Explosion
Hot Dog ‘Gangs’ Swarm Rainbow District Businesses — and Hang Pulls His Bill
‘The Enforcer’ Returns In WeHo As Hot Dog Vendors Swarm Sidewalks
WeHo’s Greasy Sidewalks And The Hot Dog Shuffle Spins Out Of Control
WeHo Street Bars Pop Up on Santa Monica Blvd.
West Hollywood Resident Demands Street Vending Crisis Be Added to Safety Report
It isn’t fair to business owners that have to pay rent and taxes, these people aren’t paying and taxes nor rent and post up in front of businesses that are. Since can’t stop them then let them stay for a $25 permit fee per day.
If the city called in ICE the problem would be solved instantly.
They can’t do anything about it. I challenge you go out there and pour hot oil in the middle of the street and see what happens. Go out there and try to sell something illegally and see what happens. Don’t think they can’t do anything they can. It’s called a no vending zone when they don’t comply you call the sheriff
Danny Rivas’s comments on security in West Hollywood are disconnected from the reality on the street. Saying there are enough sheriffs and ambassadors means nothing if illegal vending, theft, assaults, and disorder return the moment enforcement steps away. Laughably he claims they all take a brake at the same time… That is not a solution; it is failure dressed up as management. This is all happening a stone throw away from the Sheriff station! Hello? Residents are tired of excuses and tired of a city government that talks about safety while allowing the same problems to repeat. If the leadership… Read more »
Sb946 does not allow combustibles in a confined area it also tells them to stay a certain amount of feet away from doorways, fire hydrants etc. they generate over 1,000,000,000 a year they steal from the merchants and pay no tax as we clean up after them. Inexcusable
Agreed, Reed… And when laws on the books are not enforced by the people paid for by us, we need to insist to replace them with characters that are aligned to protect the citizens fairly, not selectively and get rid of “leaders” that secretly cut deals with developers behind our backs: Think surveillance installed that have little to do with preventing crimes but surely stuffed the pockets of WeHo employees! This Sheriff station is a sad example of pro-active crime prevention. They do highlight when they tackle a meth addicted homeless person but are completely absent when criminals plunder homes… Read more »
I blame John Erickson for halting Danny Hang’s efforts to combat these illegal street vendors when State policy wasn’t in effect yet. He knew if he tabled an agenda item that the policy would benefit him and not the betterment of this business community
So Danny Rivas won’t do enforcement because it’s inconvenient and expensive. And they might film you?!? Write them the tickets. Do it every night. Because if they’re spending time filming you then they aren’t serving customers.
How about supporting local restaurants that pay big bucks to be here by letting them put posters up pointing out that these are uninspected, unlicensed and unsanitary.
Another bad policy given to us by the state. Our local “leaders” should team up with other city leaders and fight to change the law back so they have the ability to do something about this. It’s so ridiculous. If this wasn’t a one party state perhaps you’d have an opposing viewpoint that wouldn’t have let things get to this state. We’re literally turning California into a Third World country.
Kyle Brazeal put it best last night as to the real reason nothing gets done about this: This is more so a read into our city council’s appetite to address this than it is our ability to address it. In the October 2025 council meeting, council member Erickson acknowledged that, because of his employer, he was uncomfortable moving forward on this.”
Yup. Erickson has been a real problem for this city. Our bad for electing this immature, petty, vindictive individual.
If only City officials knew someone at the State level. Hands are always tied when it comes to challenging State laws that aren’t in the best interest of the West Hollywood residents and businesses. No appetite to fight back. No appetite to insist that reality and not “ideals” are in play when laws are enforced. Why is West Hollywood an independent city? The leaders are ineffectual lemmings.
So when the city takes up the costly lawsuit to fight the state, you’d probably complain about the cost. 🙄
Let’s stop electing crazies to the state legislature. Sending John Erickson to the state senate would exacerbate the problem created by legislators who have a fetish for taking away local control. Think SB79 and its disastrous outcomes throughout California. Say no to any more Weiners, say no to John Erickson for State Senate.
Yup. Wise words.
100 percent agreed
I really think that Erickson’s brand of “the dais is like a game show and I’m the Paul Lynde in the center square” attitude may be barely tolerated in WeHo but the rest of the world?
You win the internet for the Paul Lynde reference!
You know he used to prowl around the bars in Boystown. I remember bumping into him crossing SM Blvd at Robertson. Lynde lived nearby in Beverly Hills.
Center Star for the win!