By Forum Staff
Mayor Eric Adams recently vetoed Introduction 47-B, which, according to the City Council, would have improved the city’s street vending environment—and the council was not pleased.
“Int. 47-B implements a recommendation of the City’s Street Vendor Advisory Board, a collection of the city’s business, immigrant rights, real estate, and vendor leaders that developed solutions to improve the environment of vending for everyone’s benefit. While leaving in place the enforcement tools of violations, fines, and civil offenses, the bill simply removed the excessive criminal misdemeanor penalties that can block New Yorkers’ access to educational, employment, housing and immigration opportunities,” said council spokeswoman Julia Agos. “The council negotiated this bill in good faith with the administration, only to have the mayor disregard the work of the advisory board and his own staff with this veto.
“As the Trump administration continues to attack working families and immigrant communities, Mayor Adams’ veto is yet another example of him supporting Trump’s agenda over New Yorkers. The council will consider its next steps to protect our city from a mayor willing to put his own political needs over people and sound policy that keeps us all safe, with access to opportunity.”
Photo Courtesy of Ed Reed/Mayoral Photography Office
The council ripped the mayor for vetoing the legislation.
Under current city law, street vending enforcement can include criminal misdemeanor charges, despite the City shifting its approach towards the use of civil penalties several years ago. Having even a minor criminal record, such as a misdemeanor, can lead to lifelong barriers to education, employment, and housing, while also jeopardizing immigration status, according to the council. In 2023, the NYPD issued more than 1,200 criminal vending tickets, almost triple the number of tickets given out the previous year and six times the number issued in 2019 when the NYPD was still the primary enforcement agency. Vendors who are Black or Latino are disproportionately impacted, receiving nearly 80 percent of all the criminal tickets issued in 2023, while making up just 50 percent of the city’s overall population.
The Council’s vote on Int. 47-B was 40 yes votes, eight no votes, and three abstentions.
