{"id":249,"date":"2026-08-19T20:36:52","date_gmt":"2026-08-19T20:36:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/council.nyc.gov\/pierina-ana-sanchez\/?p=249"},"modified":"2026-08-19T20:36:52","modified_gmt":"2026-08-19T20:36:52","slug":"council-member-pierina-sanchez-releases-statement-on-street-vending-waitlist-proposed-rule","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/council.nyc.gov\/pierina-ana-sanchez\/2026\/08\/19\/council-member-pierina-sanchez-releases-statement-on-street-vending-waitlist-proposed-rule\/","title":{"rendered":"COUNCIL MEMBER PIERINA SANCHEZ RELEASES STATEMENT ON STREET VENDING WAITLIST PROPOSED RULE"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>New York, NY<\/strong> (August 19, 2026) &#8211; In response to the Department of Consumer and Worker Protection\u2019s (DCWP) public hearing on a proposed rule on the Street Vending License Waitlist<strong>,<\/strong> NYC Council Member Pierina Sanchez, Lead Sponsor of Local Law 54 of 2026, shared the following:<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cFor decades, New York City\u2019s broken street-vending system forced hardworking vendors into the shadows, not because they refused to follow the rules, but because arbitrary license caps made compliance impossible. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nyc.gov\/site\/dca\/businesses\/street-vendors.page\">Local Law 54 of 2026<\/a> is a historic step toward correcting that injustice by formalizing thousands of our smallest businesses and pairing expanded access with clearer rules, education, and accountability.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I am encouraged to see DCWP begin implementing this reform, including preserving priority for people on the existing general-vendor waitlist and recognizing vendors already working who never had a fair opportunity to join it. But reforms only matter if the people they were designed to serve can actually benefit.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">That is why <strong>I am concerned that relying too heavily on self-certification of prior vending activity could allow longtime vendors to be pushed aside.<\/strong> Implementation must include a meaningful, fair process to verify existing vendors and ensure those who endured years of exclusion are not left behind again.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>I therefore respectfully recommend the following<\/strong>:<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>1. Meaningfully prioritize existing vendors<\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">DCWP should require applicants claiming priority as existing vendors to provide at least one form of documentation showing prior vending activity during the period specified in the proposed rule.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Recognizing that many vendors have operated within an informal system created by the City\u2019s restrictive licensing structure, DCWP should accept a broad and flexible range of evidence, including:<\/p>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Dated wholesale receipts or records documenting purchases of merchandise or supplies;<\/li>\n<li>A New York State Certificate of Authority or sales-tax filings;<\/li>\n<li>Timestamped photographs showing the applicant vending;<\/li>\n<li>Letters from customers, neighboring businesses, faith institutions, community organizations, elected officials, or other individuals familiar with the applicant\u2019s vending activity; or<\/li>\n<li>Civil or criminal summonses issued in connection with vending;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">DCWP should publish clear standards before the application period begins so vendors understand exactly what will be accepted. Applicants should also receive notice and a reasonable opportunity to clarify or supplement their submissions before being denied priority because documentation is incomplete.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>2. Design the application process around the vendor community<\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The application and waitlist-enrollment process must account for language barriers, limited digital literacy, and unequal access to technology. Notices, instructions, and assistance should be available in the languages commonly spoken by vendors.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I strongly recommend DCWP provide meaningful in-person options, including application assistance and secure drop-off locations accessible across all five boroughs because a historic expansion should not be undermined by an application process that excludes the very vendors it is intended to reach.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The success of this reform will be measured not simply by how many applications DCWP processes, but by whether longtime vendors\u2014especially those who endured years of exclusion and helped win this change\u2014are able to secure licenses and participate fully in New York City\u2019s economy. I urge DCWP to incorporate these recommendations and ensure that implementation fulfills that promise\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center wp-block-paragraph\">##<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p><strong>New York, NY<\/strong> (August 19, 2026) &#8211; In response to the Department of Consumer and Worker Protection\u2019s (DCWP) public hearing on a proposed rule on the Street Vending License Waitlist<strong>,<\/strong> NYC Council Member Pierina Sanchez, Lead Sponsor of Local Law 54 of 2026, shared the following:<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFor decades, New York City\u2019s broken street-vending system forced hardworking vendors into the shadows, not because they refused to follow the rules, but because arbitrary license caps made compliance impossible.<\/p>\n<p>&#8230;<\/p>\n<p><strong><small><a href=\"https:\/\/council.nyc.gov\/pierina-ana-sanchez\/2026\/08\/19\/council-member-pierina-sanchez-releases-statement-on-street-vending-waitlist-proposed-rule\/\">READ MORE<\/a><\/small><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":317,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-249","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-housing"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/council.nyc.gov\/pierina-ana-sanchez\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/249","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/council.nyc.gov\/pierina-ana-sanchez\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/council.nyc.gov\/pierina-ana-sanchez\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/council.nyc.gov\/pierina-ana-sanchez\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/317"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/council.nyc.gov\/pierina-ana-sanchez\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=249"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/council.nyc.gov\/pierina-ana-sanchez\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/249\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":250,"href":"https:\/\/council.nyc.gov\/pierina-ana-sanchez\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/249\/revisions\/250"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/council.nyc.gov\/pierina-ana-sanchez\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=249"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/council.nyc.gov\/pierina-ana-sanchez\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=249"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/council.nyc.gov\/pierina-ana-sanchez\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=249"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}