Is Fresno’s new vendor badge program working? ‘It’s complicated to me’
Since the launch of Fresno’s mobile food vendor ID program, only 79 vendors have picked up their official badges as of July 24 — despite an estimated 700 vendors operating citywide.
The ID program is part of a push by local officials to streamline the permit process for mobile food vendors across the city and county. Since June 6, vendors with a business license and health permit have been eligible to apply for city-issued IDs, which cost $27.
Enforcement of the new ID requirement went into effect July 1, in line with Fresno’s recently adopted sidewalk vending ordinance. Mobile food vendors operating without an ID can expect a warning for the first offense, followed by fines of $25 for a second violation, $50 for a third, and up to $100 for any further offenses.
The policy is likely to impact a significant number of vendors, as many don’t meet the requirements to qualify for the ID program.
Luz Barron and her husband, Luis Coria, obtained an ID for their food cart, La Kumbre, which sells ice cream. They were the first vendors to receive their badges at the end of May. They say there are too many requirements in place to qualify for the badge.
“All the rules seem a bit complicated to me, especially requirements like the Food Handler certification,” Coria said. “Health Department inspectors ask for a lot — like having your food cart fully up to code. Everything has to be exactly as they require. But many vendors are out working with makeshift carts. Not everyone has the money to get a proper one.”
Coria said his cart cost them $8,000. The Fresno Area Hispanic Foundation, in partnership with Fresno County, offered them a $4,000 grant to buy their carts. The entire process — from having their cart built to passing the Health Department inspection and receiving a city-issued badge — took a full year to get done. Coria added that local organizations, including Cultiva La Salud and the Asociación de Vendedores Ambulantes de Fresno, provided help.
“I feel safe now that I have the city ID. If the police come up to me, I feel confident they won’t do anything to me,” Coria said. “I think customers also feel safer buying from us knowing that we have everything in order.”
Isabel Palofox, a street vendor who sells hot dogs outside of Community Regional Medical Center, said she hadn’t heard of the city’s ID program before, but is interested in getting a badge.
“I would feel safer selling if I did have an ID. Things would be better for me,” she said. “If anyone from the city came up to me, I could just show them I have my badge.”
Palafox, however, doesn’t qualify for the badge because she doesn’t have the right cart.
“The carts just cost too much. I think the requirements are unfair,” she said. “I think the city needs to be helping us out more if they want us to meet the requirements.”
Barriers to obtaining Fresno vendor badge
Since March 2024, the Fresno Area Hispanic Foundation, in partnership with Fresno County, has been offering reimbursement grants of up to $4,000 to mobile food vendors who have completed the process of obtaining their carts and required permits. A total of $360,000 was allocated for the program, and 75 vendors have already been approved to receive funding.
“What we’re trying to do is show as much as we can that the grants have been helping people, so the county will continue to allocate part of their budget to helping mobile food vendors,” said Flavio Arechiga, grant program manager for the Fresno Area Hispanic Foundation. “The main idea of the reimbursement grant is to incentivize mobile food vendors to get the right kind of carts and their permits.”
According to Arechiga, about two-thirds of the funding has already been distributed, and the foundation expects to complete all remaining disbursements by late October. He says the cost of the carts is barrier for vendors because they can cost anywhere between $2,000 to $10,000.
“These grants started last March and we still have funds and that shouldn’t be happening. I know there’s people who need the funds. I know people that can qualify as they are now, but they don’t call and apply,” Arechiga said.
The Fresno Area Hispanic Foundation is also helping launch the One-Stop Mobile Vendor Pilot Program designed to streamline the licensing process for mobile vendors. Organized in collaboration with Supervisors Luis Chavez and Brian Pacheco, the event will provide one-on-one assistance with business licenses, health permits, fire inspections, and other essential certifications. The event will take place Wednesday at Saint Anthony Mary Claret Church in Fresno from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m.
Fresno City Councilmember Miguel Arias helped launch the city’s vendor ID program and has continued to be involved with supporting the Mobile Food Vendors Association of Fresno.
Arias noted that beyond securing funds for the proper type of cart, one of the biggest challenges street vendors face is accessing a commercial kitchen where they can safely prepare their food.
“Under current county order, you have to demonstrate that your food is being prepared in a commercial kitchen that’s licensed by Public Health and your cart must be stored in a commercial kitchen and we just don’t have enough commercial kitchens to accommodate the demand of street vendors,” he said.
He added that the city has recently provided financial support to help establish two additional commercial kitchens— one in Chinatown and another through Cultiva La Salud — to give vendors access to the facilities required for obtaining public health permits.
However, Arias emphasized that Fresno still has more work to do to fully support mobile food vendors — including authorizing Microenterprise Home Kitchen Operations (MEHKOs), which would allow vendors to certify their home kitchens for food preparation and comply with public health requirements.
“It would be hugely beneficial for the city of Fresno to have the county certify home kitchens and overnight make hundreds of vendors fully compliant with public health rules,” Arias said.
Arias also highlighted the need for better alignment between city and county regulations, seeing as, for example, street vending is allowed in city parks but remains prohibited in county parks, and the rules for vendors vary significantly between the two jurisdictions.
“Vendors have broad and heavy community support,” Arias said. “Fresno people love their street tacos and their fresh fruit. So we need to continue to support the entrepreneurship that these vendors represent and the economy they’re supporting across our communities.”
This story was originally published July 29, 2025 at 2:40 PM.
