San Bernardino County street vendors protest

San Bernardino County has approved a $9.8 billion budget for the 2024-’24 fiscal year, a fraction of which has drawn the ire of the city’s street vendors.

That’s because $485,657 of the budget is earmarked for the Illegal Street Vending Program, a Department of Health initiative that some vendors believe will place unfair limits on their business practices, according to reports.

Specifically, the money will be used to increase the number of vehicles used by the department to find illegal vendors, and to hire more people. That prompted a show of solidarity by some street vendors, who gathered outside the San Bernardino County Government Center June 11 to protest, shortly before the Board of Supervisors approved the budget.

Board members did not comment on the vendor’s concerns before approving the budget, the reports stated.