City Law Regarding Sidewalk Vendors is Designed to Protect Minors from Public Display of Harmful Material

Good job city council.

Now you must enforce it.

Thank you to our city council for passing this,. Hopefully, this will be enforced and prevent a repeat of the sidewalk vendors who were selling Trump clothing with profane language on them, displayed in full view, and non-compliance of ADA clearance on public sidewalks.

Thank you so much! Please enforce vigilantly!

Good Job !! every time we would pass by the my 9 year old and 11 year old would Read the **** Biden sign!!

Thank you! None of us need to see such things.

Thank you! I was so frustrated driving by the "F--- Biden" T-shirt displayed on Alicia Parkway. How do you teach respect to children when they see that?!

Thanks. This issue needed clarification.

i wish we could ban sidewalk vendors altogether. it's tacky. and i don't see how they could leave 4 ft of sidewalk in some of the locations a saw/see them.

I wonder, would graphics of guns, be included within this law? Are guns considered within the description of " vulgar or profane word, depiction, photo or graphic"?

What profane language was displayed on Trumps clothing? Or is this some Trump hater saying this?

Thank you for doing something. It’s way over due.

FINALLY!! What took so long?

I agree with Mark Skurnik. Because was out today and saw two stands with the "Bad language".

Great news! Still wondering how pop-up vendors/tents are allowed on public sidewalks since I have not seen this before the Trump merchandise showed up. I have lived in MV 40+ years and have never seen tents allowed on sidewalks. What's to prevent a hot dog vendor from selling hot dogs next to the pop-up tents. Just curious??

Thank You
Yes it needs to be enforced .
I agree that we need to teach and show respect.
It’s been greatly absent in our lives.

Thank you so much. We appreciate this.

Sounds like a typical overreaction by government employees who don't like the message being liberal Democrats themselves.

When Government starts banning speech, beware. As one saying goes, they came for the communists, but I was not a communist so I didn't care...

Someday they will ban anything that criticizes the city or makes the city look bad. By then, the 'bans' will be routine and no one will even notice. How sad.

I am OK with preventing lurid pictures from being viewed by minors. However, it is unconstitutional to ban written text or the spoken word that does not advocate specific violent acts. As distasteful as this 'speech' may be to some, those who have commented here should remember these words from Benjamin Franklin:

"Without freedom of thought there can be no such thing as wisdom; and no such thing as public liberty, without freedom of speech."

and

"Freedom of speech is a principal pillar of a free government; when this support is taken away, the constitution of a free society is dissolved, and tyranny is erected on its ruins. Republics…derive their strength and vigor from a popular examination into the action of the magistrates."

I have lived in Mission Viejo 33 years and have NEVER seen these sidewalk vendors. The profanity should have been removed immediately. I’m glad the City is finally taking a stand on this.

This person who owns these stands lives in Missouri?

Unbelievable!

Are they collecting sales tax?

I am so thrilled to see this. I understand political speech but I cannot stand to see the F word in giant letters in my neighborhood! I have trouble understanding how his supporters feel this is moral. I did explain to my 7yo that his supporters wanted her to know that word!!!

Great work!

Thank you so much for making quick work enacting this law. The profanity is really disgusting. My kids are just learning how to read and it's been awful having to come with an explanation for what that ugliness means.

I requested this months ago. My request was not responded to and ignored two times. . I CAN imagine why this language was not banned until after the inauguration. Inexcusable and embarrassing. MV is one of the very rare cities that allow these stands. So sad.

Thank you!

Unfortunately, this should have been done long before the election. It would have spared those driving on Santa Margarita Parkway near Los Alisos from seeing the giant "MAGA Fight Club" signs for sale at the Trump stand - with Trump dressed in only a thong! Honest!

I had a nice conversation with one of the operators of a Trump merch tent. He said that all the pop-ups in Orange and Los Angeles countries were funded by an out-of-state attorney who had all the merch produced. I didn't ask him the details about how this arrangement worked.

How does Mission Viejo benefit from these vendors? Are we receiving fees? We should be, especially as the vendors are not residents and the police will have to spend time getting the foul language off our streets.

Thank you!!
This was long overdue. I have the same question as some others have asked. Why are vendors allowed on sidewalks? I had never seen this in Mission Viejo prior to these particular booths. In addition, why are political booths allowed to remain when we are no longer in an election cycle? Seems like it’s time for them to go. It’s an eyesore.

Thank you

Thank you so much. This is good news.

Do you happen to know if the neighboring cities have a similar code/law because these stands are not just in Mission Viejo.

People up in arms about the printed words that their "delicate babies" probably hear everyday at their schools being used by their classmates. So I guess the next step is language police at the schools. I suggest anyone who has never read "1984" by George Orwell read it and those that have if you've forgotten the part dealing with government controlled and mandated language should read it again. People need to get a grip and worry about things that really matter, like the Constitution, and not petty political correctness if your fragile feelings are hurt.

Our country/city has much bigger issues than this. How embarrassing Mission Viejo, AND all of the crybabies who get triggered.

THANK YOU SO MUCH! FINALLY! Have been saddened and ashamed for too long re: how the word "f---" can be proudly displayed from Mission Viejo's streets for all who drive through our city, young and old, to see. Thank you, and please enforce.

How is it that Ms. Bates has opposed this? Could you explain further please? If I came to a city board meeting and began swearing at the meeting and saying **** one of the board members, I suspect I would be thrown out of the meeting. How is it that these stands can display such materials, even partially blocked? I find it highly irresponsible on the part of the board to bow to this form of display. If it is offensive, then it should be removed completely. To think that no one will know what is being said because part of the vulgar word is obscured is just putting your head in the sand.

Thank you so much. Please watch the corner of Marguerite and Avery and Marguerite and Crown Valley. Those t-shirt have really unspeakable messages for the kids to be expose.
Thank you.

Finally! These materials and their vulgar message have gone on far too long! No one needs to see those expletives as merchandise being hawked on the sidewalk in front of family-oriented businesses.

Please remove my comment. The placement of my comment is directly below George’s comment. Friends are now thinking I am a Trump supporter because it looks like the comment came from me. It’s deceiving when the name of the person is listed before instead of after. Or move my comment to a different spot. Thank you

I do not know why we allow the stands at all, as others have said they are an eyesore. I get having stands at events or in parking lots, but being able to put up a giant tent at any street seems too much.

I also agree with others that the shirts were extremely crude, and was rather surprised to see them at the side of the road.

Please enforce.

Thank you for doing this. Great city.

As a resident of Mission Viejo, I wanna say finally! Thank you!! This law needs to be enforced vigilantly. To allow it to continue would reflect very poorly on our city, which harms everyone at the end.

Thank you!

I witnessed a Trump supporter at one of these selling tents , screaming vulgarities at an older woman with a cane. I turned the corner and rolled down my window and asked the older woman if I could help her get to a safer place( this was on the corner of Oso and LaPaz . I know it isn’t Mission Viejo but the same f-Biden flags and t-shirts were on full display). The older woman was shaken with tears in her eyes, thanked me. As she got in my car. The screaming tent worker started on me to “take my ***************** home. Please enforce the law. I was grateful my 13 year old hid on the floor of the backseat, the screaming scared her.
The only good thing out of this was talking to my daughter about how to never act like that.

These new “street vendors” are a recent phenomenon here in MV and entirely politically motivated. I’ve lived here 36 years and these vulgar vendors are disgusting.
If you need an angle to cure it, do what NYC does; require a business license and city permit to sell “non-food” merchandise. (Answers the hot dog stand question asked earlier) Sell w/o RThe proper credentials you take the chance of confiscated merchandise and/or heavy fines.
Come on MV, step up.

Sounds like the cancel-culture is alive and kicking in MV. The purpose for the Bill of Rights is to protect freedom of speech from those obsessed with censoring anything that disagrees with their opinions.

The above information is incorrect. I do not operate these stands. I do not know who gave out this information and I don't know what gives the Department of Public Works the right to release my private cell phone number on their website. This needs to be removed immediately. I have been receiving harassing phone calls all day.

Let's get rid of these hate mongers. Why are they flying the flag of the fire department. Are they sponsoring this hate?

I am so offended by those booths selling that trash! About time! Don’t they have apply for a permit and pay fees to set those up?
Definitely a public nuisance

It seems to me that the Mission Viejo city council needs to update its regulations to limit street vending in the city. SB946 enacted in 2018 prohibits a city from banning street vending but most cities have limits as to where they are allowed. Laguna Beach for instance has a 15 page ordinance that sets out limits on what is allowed. Mission Viejo only requires a permit "unless otherwise exempted by SB946". BTW, I asked the person in charge of the Biden pop up tent on Marguerite near La Paz if he had a city permit and he said, "No, it wasn't required". I didn't dare question the rowdies at the Trump tent on La Paz.

Thank you City Council for finally taking action on this issue. Please continue to enforce the ordinance.

THANK YOU! It was awkward to pass these stands with my daughter in the car. I don't let her say that word in my house. She wouldn't be able to say it or wear a shirt that says it in school, yet it is on flags on full display all around our city. Really distasteful. If no one buys the merchandise, hopefully these vendors will pack up and leave. All that merchandise, like everything else can be purchased online anyway.

So glad. I had called to complain about the Fu__ Biden sign. It's not ok and not ok for kids to see it and offensive to some adults too I'm sure like myself because its disrespectful.
We never had street vendors before. Would prefer not to have any. Especially these. It is negative energy.
Thank you for doing something.

“If we tolerate vulgarity our future will sway and fall under a burden of ignorance. It need not be so. We have the brains and the heart to face our futures bravely. Taking responsibility for the time we take up and the space we occupy." #MayaAngelou