A Santa Barbara County task force dedicated to tracking unpermitted food vendors has led to more than 1,000 pounds of contaminated food being discarded or confiscated during the past six months.
The results of the sidewalk vending pilot program were shared with the county Board of Supervisors on Tuesday.
The board approved the program to crack down on unlicensed food vendors in February 2025 with a timeframe of April to October.
During that period, the task force said that 1,156 pounds of food were voluntarily discarded or impounded. The task force also confiscated 13 sets of equipment and issued 13 notices of violation.
The number of vendors along Highway 154 and Highway 246 has dropped significantly after the task force issued 66 citations and warnings during the past six months, according to county staff who worked on the effort.
Lars Seifert, deputy public director of operations for the County Health Department, told the board that the collaboration has been successful in its first six months.
The task force includes personnel from the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office, Environmental Health and the Public Works Department.
“We have seen a huge drop-off (…) in the Santa Ynez Valley, particularly in the unincorporated parts of the county, Orcutt area,” Seifert said. “But we will continue to stay vigilant and respond because we think that now this is the time to really lean in and continue that progress.”
He said the task force has seen more unpermitted vendors in Santa Barbara, but added that if the task force needs more support in the future, it will return to the board.
Unpermitted food vendors have been an ongoing issue for the county, which says that street food is not always properly stored or prepared.
The county claims it has seen a lack of proper sanitation stations for tools and employees, no restrooms and other violations — including open flames and dumping grease in public drains.
Local business owners also have complained to the board that street vendors steal their customers by setting up near their restaurants or stores.
Despite frustration from business owners, local governments are not allowed to ban food vendors if they follow certain health codes.
County rules require food vendors to obtain all necessary permits and have rules about where vendors are allowed to set up, and what cooking equipment is allowed.
State law allows for food operations that use pushcarts, stands, pedal-carts and wagons. Those setups are known as compact mobile food operations.
The type of operation that the county is trying to address are pop-ups, which are not permitted by state law.
