Santa Barbara County will expand ways to alert health inspectors about unpermitted food vendors as part of its efforts to crack down on unlicensed stands.

The new tip line is one of multiple tactics that the county will implement as part of its response to a report from the Santa Barbara County Grand Jury and its report on food vendors.

On Tuesday, the Board of Supervisors approved its response to the Grand Jury on its food vendor report, which outlines how it has tried to address the issue.

Illegal food vendors have been an ongoing problem for the county, which says that unpermitted vendors pose a health risk to the community. The county has cited food vendors for not properly storing meat and other perishable food or for unsanitary conditions.

The Grand Jury report found that pushcarts, food trucks and tented restaurants have become widespread throughout the county in recent years.

“Vendors also have an economic impact on our local permitted businesses, such as mobile food trucks and brick-and-mortar restaurants,” Dr. Mouhanad Hammami, the director of the Santa Barbara County Public Health Department, told the board.

As one of its recommendations, the Grand Jury asked that the county find a way to expand public access to report unlicensed food operations. The county agreed with the suggestion and stated that it is working to establish more ways to reach the public.

The county already has a tipline with voicemail and an email account, but it will create an additional tipline dedicated to unlicensed vendors by Jan. 1. An online form that can be accessed from smartphones also will be created.

The Grand Jury also found that county Public Health is unable to keep up with the rise in unpermitted food vendors. The jury stated that the department is understaffed and recommended that the county hire more food inspectors to address the rise in vendors.

The county disagreed with the recommendation to add new staff. However, the response explained that the county has reached an agreement with the California Highway Patrol to use “their authority to enforce the California Streets and Highways Code and remove vendors from prohibited state freeways and rights-of-way.”

The Grand Jury also recommended that the county enlist local law enforcement to accompany county health inspectors when visiting vendors in unincorporated areas.

The county response agreed with the recommendation and said it has already partnered with multiple law enforcement agencies, especially in high-traffic areas and after-hours.

Third District Supervisor Joan Hartmann said the county needs to do more to educate the public to make them aware of the health risks of unpermitted vendors.

“I know that when our Environmental Health goes out there, it’s often members of the public who are antagonizing them in their enforcement, because they don’t really understand the issues,” Hartmann said. “So, I think we need to consider more what we can do on the public education side of it.”

Lars Seifert, the deputy public director of operations, said public outreach was part of the board’s direction when it established the food vendor task force in March.

Second District Supervisor Laura Capps also raised the issue of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids and how it is affecting enforcement. She added that while the county wants to protect public health, she acknowledged that many immigrants sell food to survive.

Hammami acknowledged that the issue is complex but said his department’s focus is on food served to the public.

The board voted unanimously to approve the report.