SEASIDE HOLIDAY LIGHTS VENDING

Although the Seaside Holiday Lights is NOT a City event, the City will continue its efforts to address public safety concerns. The 2023 Information for Seaside Ranchos Residents and Visitors webpage (link below) has been updated to reflect new information regarding: 

• Parking Restriction Dates
• Parking Restrictions Map
• Cottage Food and Sidewalk Vending FAQ’s
• Holiday Lights FAQ’s and 
• Additional Trash Bins for Collection

The updated webpage also includes contact information related to:

• Parking Violations
• City of Torrance Safe Sidewalk Vending Guide
• LA County Public Health Mobile Food Program
• Sanitation/Trash Bins
• Traffic and Signage

RESIDENTS WHO WANT TO VEND

Residents who would like to vend please visit the link below for all information on requirements and permits:

https://www.torranceca.gov/government/city-manager/seaside-holiday-lights

SIDEWALK & ROAMING VENDORS (info taken from city link up above)

• What is a sidewalk vendor? “Sidewalk vendor” includes “roaming sidewalk vendor”* and “stationary sidewalk vendor.”** A sidewalk vendor is a person who sells food or merchandise from a:
  • Pushcart
  • Stand
  • Display
  • Pedal-driven cart
  • Wagon
  • Showcase
  • Rack or other non-motorized conveyance
  • Or upon a public sidewalk or other pedestrian path.
  • *"Roaming sidewalk vendor" means a sidewalk vendor who moves from place to place and stops only to complete a transaction. **"Stationary sidewalk vendor" means a sidewalk vendor who vends from a fixed location.
• What type of licenses and permits are required to become a sidewalk vendor?All sidewalk vendors in the City of Torrance must have a:
  • City-issued Sidewalk Vendor Business License,
  • County of Los Angeles Public Health Permit (if selling food/drinks), and
  • California-issued Seller’s Permit.
• What are the restrictions on where I can sidewalk vend?Roaming sidewalk vending is prohibited in areas with no sidewalks or with extremely narrow sidewalks (six (6) feet wide or less). Stationary sidewalk vending is prohibited in areas zoned residential.
• When can I sidewalk vend?Hours of Operation:
  • Non-Residential Neighborhoods: 8:00 a.m.- 10:00 p.m.
  • Residential Areas: 9:00 a.m. - 9:00 p.m.
  • Sidewalk vendors that operate before or after daylight must have adequate lighting to ensure the safety of the public and themselves.
• Sidewalk Vending Dont's
  • No person may intentionally and deliberately obstruct the free movement of anyone on a public right-of-way or other public place, or any place open to the general public. Any person that obstructs or impedes the free passage of pedestrians or public travel, after being requested to immediately move by a police officer, shall be deemed guilty of a misdemeanor (Torrance Municipal Code Section 45.1.4)
  • Sidewalk vendors may not vend within five hundred (500) feet of a permitted event for the duration or within operating hours of such an event. Permitted events include but are not limited to farmer’s markets, swap meets, or any temporary special permits like filming, parades, sporting events, festivals, carnivals, or outdoor concerts.
• Fines for vending without a valid sidewalk vending permit?• $250 - 1st Violation
  • $500 - 2nd Violation
  • $500 - 3rd and each Subsequent Violation
• Fines for vending with a valid sidewalk vending permit but violating the City's vending ordinance?• $100 - 1st Violation
  • $200 - 2nd Violation
  • $500 - 3rd and each Subsequent Violation
• What is the difference between this year's event and last year's?The City now has the ability to issue administrative citations to anyone in violation of the City's Municipal Code
• When did the City start imposing fines on illegal street vendors and homeowners that do not have the proper permits of food licenses?The City has had the ability to write Administrative Citations since January 2023.
• Did the City educate vendors on the ordinance ahead of this year's event?The City has provided education of Senate Bill (SB) 946, Safe Sidewalk Vending Act, and AB 1616, the California Homemade Food Act since 2021.