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FRESNO, Calif. (KSEE/KGPE) - The Fresno City Council gathering was met with backlash connected Thursday.
Some councilmembers anticipation to ace down connected Tower District thoroughfare vendors adjacent further than they already have.
“You’ve painted specified a wide umbrella astir who is astatine responsibility for this,” 1 attendee got up and said.
“This constabulary unfairly links each transgression successful Tower solely to vendors successful an effort to warrant these bans during ceramic and mortar operating hours,” different attendee said.
Fresno constabulary got 5,528 calls from the Tower District betwixt January and September of this year.
Fresno City Attorney Andrew Janz says the sidewalks are often covered successful grease stains and trash from the late-night nutrient vendors.
City leaders accidental to hole that, they indispensable trim late-night thoroughfare vending.
“I would ne'er successful a cardinal years person dreamed that thing similar thoroughfare vending would beryllium specified a large issue,” Tower District Business Association President Anthony Armour said.
The metropolis introduced a street vendor ordinance astatine the opening of the year, expanding vending regulations and fines for violations.
Janz says it was not enough, though.
“I’ve had conversations with the constabulary chief. We are diverting officers from different areas of municipality to marque definite that Tower is simply a harmless place,” Janz said.
On Thursday, Councilmembers Miguel Arias and Annalisa Perea introduced an amendment to the archetypal ordinance.
It would prohibition thoroughfare vending successful the Tower District altogether betwixt 6 p.m. and 3 a.m. Fridays and Saturdays.
“The ordinance amendment mentions the information that we've seen an uptick successful crime. We are not successful immoderate mode saying that the thoroughfare vendors are straight liable for that, but the transgression that we're seeing successful the Tower District is associated with the areas successful which the vendors frequent,” Janz said.
One anonymous Tower District concern proprietor says she thinks 6 p.m. is excessively aboriginal to unit everyone out.
She does deliberation they should beryllium gone by 11 p.m., though.
Armour backed the amendment connected the district’s behalf Thursday, but helium says helium felt torn doing so.
“At the extremity of the day, man, businesses are bushed of much breached windows, having to cleanable up other things successful beforehand of their space, particularly erstwhile they don’t person thing to bash with that mess,” Armour said.
Armour hopes the metropolis and the vendors tin yet observe a compromise that leads to a safe, vibrant Tower District for everyone.
Thursday was the amendment’s archetypal reading. It volition person a 2nd speechmaking and treatment connected Oct. 30.
