Since the temporary ban on vendors went into effect in the Mission District, those who normally work outside of the 16th and 24th St. BART stations have seen their sales plummet. But the city says the ban has improved the situation at the BART plazas.
"Something that had been a very chaotic situation before is much better now."
This is Rachel Gordon, she’s the spokesperson for the San Francisco Department of Public Works.
"People are able to get to and from the BART stations to the bus stops around the plazas. They can access the businesses nearby and walk down the sidewalk when the enforcement teams are there."
But even Gordon admits that when the enforcement teams aren’t there, things can devolve.
"We know as soon as our inspection teams leave an area that there are people who will come in real quick, put their stuff down, sell it as quickly as they can and get out of there."
Some vendors have given up on the plazas altogether, and are instead selling goods down on Capp St. and in other neighborhoods, where enforcement is not as strict. But for those who aren’t willing to leave the Mission and who have been following the city’s rules, the situation feels unfair: they’re being hit the hardest financially. KALW asked why the city won’t just allow permitted vendors to sell their goods outside the plazas, but Gordon said they’ve tried that, and it didn’t work.
"We tried for a year to allow the permitted vendors there and then to really try to focus on the folks who didn't have permits, and unfortunately that wasn't working. So as a city, we just really wanted to hit reset."
Last week, the Office of Economic and Workforce Development announced it will distribute one-time payouts of $1,000 to permitted vendors to supplement their lost income. They’re also working on a marketing campaign to try to bring more people out to the temporary locations they’ve created for vendors.
But some vendors say they don’t want a one-time payment. They just want their old spots back.
