US-IMMIGRATION-TRADE-VENDORS

Maria Navas prepares hot dogs in front of the Dolby Theatre on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, in Los Angeles, on March 18, 2019. - Navas arrived to the United States from Mexico City, "I've been doing this for 30 years, always cooking, always running, trying to sell and get a permit. I think legalization is a positive thing. One's job is going to get better. The fact that there are excluded areas does not mean that everything is negative". On January 1, 2019, the Safe Vending Act (SB946) went into effect in the state of California prohibiting the arrest or finning of street vendors and leaving to municipalities the power to establish permits, sanitation and security issues. The Los Angeles County has set a year to negotiate with vendors the terms on which the law is going to be applied. Some 50,000 street vendors are estimated to work in Los Angeles, a $504 million industry according to a 2015 study by the Economic Roundtable. The LA County issued a municipal ordinance that designates specific areas where the vendors must operate. The ordinance does not include areas such as Memorial Coliseum, the Staples Center, Dodger Stadium, Rose Bowl Stadium and the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Street vendors have mixed feelings about the legalization of their work. At the same time they feel freed of being against the law and harassed by police giving them tickets and seizing their goods; they are concerned about having to abide to health regulations, permits and limited areas. (Photo by Agustin PAULLIER / AFP) (Photo credit should read AGUSTIN PAULLIER/AFP via Getty Images)