San Francisco, CA
San Francisco Mission street vendors to move again as city will close location it set up
SAN FRANCISCO — Street vendors in the San Francisco’s Mission District are having to navigate another move, and it’s leaving some feeling like they have to start all over again.
Rodrigo Lopez is packing up his stall at El Tiangue, after eight hours of work making at least $65 dollars.
Before the Mission street vending ban took effect in November, he would have made more like $250 on a typical day.
“For us it’s not a surprise anymore, but it’s going to be like a new start all over from zero,” said Rodrigo Lopez, a street vendor.
Now, he and other permitted vendors forced off the street are getting word that they’ll have to move again later this month. The city is shutting down El Tiangue on April 21.
“There’s a lack of foot traffic on this area. The location is kind of in the middle of Mission street between the two plazas so you have fewer people getting on and off BART, so we’ve been communicating with them and decided that it was not worth the resources the city is putting into it and close this site and use the resources to help vendors in a different way,” explained Santiago Lerma, street crisis coordinator of the Department of Emergency Management.
That will leave La Placita at 24th and Capp as the last option for vendors who are doing things by the book.
“We don’t really know if it’s going to be a better place for us or if there’s going to be more foot traffic, more sells, at this point we don’t know,” says Rodrigo Lopez.
Kevin Ortiz with the LatinX Democratic Club has been working alongside the vendors and said this particular experiment has been a waste of basically everybody’s time and money.
“It’s heartbreaking knowing that there has been a ban preventing folks from selling on the streets and burning money on a space that hasn’t been properly marketed,” expressef Kevin Ortiz, LatinX Democratic Club.
For now, Rodrigo is still weighing his options, especially because he has been here all day working with his family.
“I got everything on hold until I find out how it’s going to be the new place. I’m going to wait until maybe the 21st, 25th and see how everything goes and maybe I’ll decide. And I can say I’m going to choose to sell in La Placita,” Rodrigo Lopez, a street vendor, mentioned
And Rodrigo told KPIX they’re going to make the best out of this move and embrace the good weather outside, hoping for some better days ahead.
What’s New
Hilton hotel workers in San Francisco voted on Christmas Eve to approve a new union contract after a 93-day strike, according to the Unite Here Local 2 union.
The union, which represents about 15,000 workers in the region, announced that the deal settles the last of the city’s 2024 hotel strikes, covering approximately 900 Hilton workers.
Newsweek has contacted Unite Here Local 2 and Hilton via email for comment.
Justin Sullivan/ASSOCIATED PRESS
Why It Matters
The new contracts after this year’s strikes establish significant improvements in wages, health care and workload protections for workers at Hilton, Hyatt and Marriott-operated hotels.
The agreements conclude months of labor unrest that involved thousands of workers and disrupted San Francisco’s hotel industry.
What To Know
Hilton workers voted 99.4 percent in favor of the agreement on Christmas Eve, which includes a $3 per hour immediate wage increase, additional raises, and protections against understaffing and increased workloads.
The four-year contract preserves affordable union health insurance and provides pension increases. The deal covers workers at Hilton San Francisco Union Square and Parc 55, with 650 workers having actively participated in the strike.
This agreement follows similar contracts reached with Hyatt workers on Friday and Marriott workers last Thursday, covering a total of 2,500 workers who had been on strike since late September.
What People Are Saying
Bill Fung, a housekeeping attendant at Hilton San Francisco Union Square for 29 years, said: “These 93 days have not been easy, and I’m so proud that my coworkers and I never gave up. We stood together through the rain and cold, and even though there were some hard days, it was all worth it. We will go back to work with our health care, good raises, and the confidence of knowing that when we fight, we win.”
Lizzy Tapia, President of Unite Here Local 2, said: “Hilton, Hyatt, and Marriott workers refused to give up their health care or go backwards – and we proved on the picket line that we’re not afraid of a tough fight. As contract talks begin with the city’s other full-service hotels in the new year, they should know that this is the new standard they must accept for their own employees.”
San Francisco Mayor-elect Daniel Lurie said on X: “All those that have been out on strike will be back to work, and just in time for Christmas. So, things are looking bright as we head into 2025.
What Happens Next
Unite Here Local 2 said it would push for other full-service hotels in San Francisco to adopt the same standards established by the Hilton, Hyatt, and Marriott agreements when contract negotiations resume in 2025.
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