The Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday approved stricter regulations for food vendors and a temporary task force to enforce the new rules.

The ordinance will require food vendors to obtain all necessary permits, establish where and when food vendors can set up their operations, and what kind of cooking equipment is allowed. The Board of Supervisors approved the changes in a unanimous vote.

The stricter rules come after years of complaints from local business owners and residents who say unpermitted food vendors are unsafe and create unfair competition for restaurants.

County staff also have reported a lack of sanitation, improper storage of perishable food and other health issues at some unlicensed food stands.

“The intent of the proposed sidewalk ordinance before you today is to support lawful vendors and protect public health,” said Lars Seifert, the deputy public director of operations for the County Health Department. “It’s not to eliminate sidewalk vending.”

The main target of the county’s ire has been the temporary food stands known as pop-ups. Those kinds of vendors have faced criticism for operating with open flames, unsanitary practices, dumping grease and other county health code violations.  

Compact mobile food operations may operate if they have the proper permits and meet state size standards. Vendors using pushcarts, stands, pedal-carts and wagons fall under that category and are allowed to sell pre-packaged food or conduct low-risk food preparation. Pop-up locations do not fall under the state standards for compact mobile food operations.

The ordinance will allow county staff to confiscate and impound food, goods and other cooking equipment from operations that do not meet the state standards and violate county health and safety codes.

Staff also can dispose of goods that are perishable or cannot be safely stored, according to the county.

Fourth District Supervisor Bob Nelson supported the new ordinance but expressed frustration that the issue took so long to come to the board for a vote. He had offered to use money from his office’s fund last year to pay for equipment needed for enforcement.

Nelson added that unpermitted food vending is a long-standing problem, and the county should react sooner to such issues.

“(I’m) glad we are going to do something here,” Nelson said. “I just wish that in the future that we move this along quicker and not have to add so much bureaucracy and conversation about it.”

Third District Supervisor Joan Hartmann suggested a change to the ordinance that would prevent food vendors from setting up near schools during school-related events, such as concerts or sporting events. The rest of the board accepted the change.

The board also approved a new six-month task force that will include staff from Environmental Health Services and the Public Works Department, and a deputy from the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office.

The task force will focus on unincorporated areas near Santa Maria and parts of the Santa Ynez Valley. The total cost for staff overtime, two storage containers for storing confiscated items, and a chest freezer for food is estimated at $42,000.

Seifert said county staff do not ask about immigration status during health inspections and will identify themselves as county employees.

The county also will run public service announcements warning the public to avoid eating at pop-up stands.

At the Board of Supervisors meeting, residents spoke out in favor of the crackdown, but some said it could go further.

Lourdes Luna said her mother’s restaurant and others in Santa Maria have been severely affected by the increase in food vendors. She said many restaurants in the area are at risk of closing down because of a lack of business.

“It’s already hard enough to run a business in this state alone, not just Santa Barbara County, but now we’re competing with this,” Luna told the board. “It’s almost a slap in the face.”