We are at a pivotal moment for street vending reform in NYC — and as the daughter and granddaughter of street vendors, I could not be more proud of how far we’ve come.
Moments before the City Council’s last meeting, I stood at a rally where street vendors, bodegueros, restaurants, and supermarkets stood shoulder to shoulder with one simple call: pass Int. 431 and finally fix our broken street vending system.
That moment matters — because it shows just how much has changed.
When we started this work we faced decades-old license caps that made legal compliance impossible for the vast majority of vendors and pushed thousands of vendors into the shadows; enforcement that was insufficient, inconsistent and ineffective; and stakeholders so polarized that many feared even bringing opposing sides into the same room. Vendors felt criminalized. Brick-and-mortars felt ignored. Attempts at reform collapsed under mistrust.
So we crafted a bill that is stronger, clearer, and more balanced than where we began — and with more brick-and-mortar businesses publicly supporting street vending reform than at any point in recent history.
Int. 431 does what reform has long failed to do: it addresses the root cause of disorder on our sidewalks — an artificial scarcity of licenses that leaves the vast majority of vendors operating without a legal pathway. When vendors cannot legally comply, enforcement becomes punitive instead of corrective, and quality-of-life rules become nearly impossible to uphold. By expanding access to licenses, Int. 431 creates real incentives for compliance and a foundation for order.
Over the next several years, existing vendors will have a genuine opportunity to apply for licenses and operate without fear of excessive fines or penalties simply for trying to earn an honest living.
But we didn’t stop there.
Through months of convenings, one-on-one meetings, Council hearings, written correspondence, and difficult — but productive — negotiations, we listened carefully to brick-and-mortar businesses who made one thing clear: expanding access to licenses must be paired with fair, real enforcement that protects quality of life on commercial corridors.
That feedback fundamentally shaped the bill.
The amended version of Int. 431 is substantially stronger than where we started. The bill pairs expanded access to licenses with more enforcement resources, a clearer, faster, and more enforceable accountability framework — one that can actually change behavior.
It defines meaningful suspension and revocation standards for repeat siting violations, escalates penalties for unlicensed vendors who bypass a fair opportunity to obtain a license, and adds new requirements to address cleanliness and waste disposal around vending carts.
It also strengthens oversight through the Street Vendor Advisory Board, ensuring the Council remains directly engaged as data comes in and conditions on the ground evolve.
These were not cosmetic changes. They were added deliberately, in direct response to quality-of-life and enforcement concerns raised by brick-and-mortar businesses.
That is why major stakeholders — like Gristedes, the National Supermarket Association, United Bodegas of America, the Bodega and Small Business Group, and the New York State Latino Restaurant Association — have publicly come out in support of this legislation. In open letters, brick-and-mortar leaders have said plainly that Int. 431 balances the equities.
It is also why a supermajority of my colleagues in the Council now cosponsor the bill.
We cannot afford to lose this moment.
Not in a city where the vast majority of street vendors are immigrants. Not at a time when the Trump administration is targeting these same neighbors — kidnapping them at routine court hearings and tearing families apart. And not after four years of work that brought us closer than ever to a real, enforceable solution.
If we fail to act now, we don’t pause — we reset. We risk spending another four years trying to maybe get back to where we are today.
This bill is not perfect. No legislation born of real compromise ever is. But it reflects the strongest enforcement framework street vending reform has ever had, paired with long overdue access to licenses — and it positions us for success in the new year, with new leadership at City Hall and in the Council.
I am fully committed to the success of this reform. Let’s not start from scratch. Let’s not squander the work that’s been done. Let’s turn a broken system on its head and finally get it right — for vendors, for small businesses, and for our most vulnerable New Yorkers.
I urge my Council colleagues to vote “Aye” when Int. 431-B comes before us tomorrow.
Let’s get it done.
Sanchez represents parts of the Bronx in the City Council.
