In cities across California, street vendors are a vibrant part of our neighborhoods. They are entrepreneurs and providers of affordable food and goods for working families. From the frutas frescas on a hot summer day to the tamales sold outside a church service, vendors help weave the fabric of community life. Yet in Fontana, instead of being treated with dignity and respect, these hardworking entrepreneurs have been targeted, criminalized, and pushed out.
That is why our coalition, together with courageous vendors, is taking the City of Fontana to court. We have filed a lawsuit to challenge the city’s unlawful and unconstitutional vending rules. For years, we tried to work with city leaders in good faith, but they refused to listen. This lawsuit is not our first choice; it is a type of last resort after every other door was closed on us.
Fontana’s mayor, Acquanetta Warren, has led an unrelenting assault on street vendors and immigrant families since 2010, when she publicly supported Arizona’s SB1070 law that targeted immigrants. Instead of building bridges with the community, she has chosen to demonize working people and stand with big business interests. Her record and rhetoric align closely with anti-immigrant politics, prioritizing punishment over partnership, exclusion over inclusion…