City misses first opportunity to revoke anti-peddling law
While this week's debate over the city's law that prohibits vending on public streets proved to be a good forum for civic participation and demonstrated the colorful back-and-forth interaction that's possible between electorate and elected in Simi Valley- it did little to show that the City Council was willing to right its wrong when it comes to Municipal Code Ordinance No. 1109.

Instead, the mayor and council chose to throw a Band-Aid on the problem- adopting a "grandfather clause" amendment to the law that will allow vendors who have been selling from vehicles in Simi for three years or more and have all the proper permits to be exempt from the ordinance's time limit- rather than stop the bleeding, admit they were wrong, revoke the law and start looking at new solutions for their and the Chamber's concerns.

Throughout the evening's discussion a number of suggestions were made by audience members and council members to better regulate street vending by strengthening the laws that were on the books before 1109 passed.

How about requiring vendors- just as other cities have done- to take out an insurance policy to cover liability in case of an accident, or having the city's traffic engineer devise a safety plan (including the use of safety cones) that all vendors would have to abide by? "Peddling" zones along less-busy streets that would allow the vendors to operate legally were also brought up.

All good ideas. All of which could be enforced through the permitting process and by local police. All of which don't include making it illegal for a legal vendor to sell their goods in Simi Valley- something so many residents have said they don't want.

But instead the council continued to push its idea of altering the zoning code so as to allow vendors to operate on private property with a temporary use permit and the property owner's permission, a solution that requires a recommendation from the city's Planning Commission. One problem? There's no guarantee that the vendors will be able to find a property owner willing to let them operate.

But the council members seem to think so, and unfortunately, the Planning Commission and commissioner Keith Mashburn- who spoke in favor of the ordinance at Monday's meeting- might feel the same.

There's no question the issue of the anti-peddling law is one that divides the residents of Simi, even within households.

Then why, we must ask, does the council still remain so unanimous in its support?