Oakland Food Policy Council

PUBLIC MEETING: FOCUSED DISCUSSION ON MOBILE FOOD VENDING & PUSHCART VENDING IN OAKLAND

Monday November 15, 2010  10:00 am – 11:30 am

City Hall Hearing Room #3 , Ground Floor (Broadway Street side)      

FOR MORE INFORMATION OR TO RSVP PLEASE CONTACT OAKLAND FOOD POLICY COUNCIL& CITY STAFF MEMBER MPRADO@OAKLANDNET.COM (510) 238-6766

Thank you in advance for attending our discussion of the baseline conditions for the conduct of Mobile Food vending and Pushcart vending in the City of Oakland. The Oakland Food Policy Council, a policy advisory body formed in 2009 (www.oaklandfood.org) , has been advising the City on a wide variety of issues, including advocacy for the amending of various parts of the Municipal Code dealing and or affecting the supply and distribution of fresh local and healthy foods throughout the City.  One of the Policy Council’s recommendations, to be presented at the December 14, 2010 Life Enrichment Committee of the City Council, is for the amendment of the regulations around Mobile Food & Pushcart Vending.

On October 26, 2010 the Planning Department reported back to the Community & Economic Development Committee of Oakland City Council, noting the Policy Council’s request, and committing to a review of regulations early in 2011, with the goal of creating/ or amending regulations within nine months.  The November 15^th morning “Focused Discussion on Vending” will help create a stream of input, provide a market-based perspective, and provide feedback and guidance to the City as they consider new regulations. Some of the topics to be discussed include: associated sidewalk or outdoor seating, “clustering” of multiple vendors at single site locations; private “off-street” locations and potential for “on-street” permitting, customer parking implications, “brick and mortar” restaurant competing interests, sanitation and licensing, lighting for off-street vendors, business license and enforcement, multiple-site permitting, administration of permits on public (City Parks & Rec) or plaza sites. Other suggested topics are welcome

Please come to help create a foundation of information, while adding to the creation of a Vision and policy platform for the re-creation of Mobile Food Vending regulations in Oakland. Here is the proposed Agenda for your review and circulation. Please feel free to circulate this email, with a courtesy heads up to Mprado@oaklandnet.com so we can accommodate seating.

I.                    Introductions

II.                  Current Regulatory Framework:

Municipal Code: Planning Regs; Municipal Code Ch 17: Healthy & Safety (Chapter 5.49 and 8.09)

Alameda County Health Agency

III.                Review of Other City Regulations:  Portland, Seattle, Cleveland, Toronto, NY

IV.                Review of single topic areas, such as Multiple Sites for single vendors (serial locations), Clustering of multiple vendors on single sites, sanitation and waste, seating, lighting

V.                  Suggestions from the private enterprise perspective

VI.                Pilot start-ups for expanded geographic area permits

VII.              Next Steps and subsequent meeting date in January.