Mayor Zohran Mamdani has tapped a Street Vendor Project veteran to lead a new city office dedicated to supporting street vendors across the five boroughs.
Carina Kaufman-Gutierrez will serve as the first executive director of the Office of Street Vendor Services, which falls under the umbrella of the city’s Department of Small Business Services, City Hall said in a release Wednesday.
What You Need To Know
Mayor Zohran Mamdani has tapped a Street Vendor Project veteran to lead a new city office dedicated to supporting street vendors across the five boroughs
Carina Kaufman-Gutierrez will serve as the first executive director of the Office of Street Vendor Services, which falls under the umbrella of the city’s Department of Small Business Services, City Hall said in a release Wednesday
Kaufman-Gutierrez previously served as co-director of the Street Vendor Project at the Urban Justice Center, an organization that advocates for vendor rights
In a statement, Mamdani said the new Office of Street Vendor Services would “fundamentally transform the relationship that street vendors have with the City”
Kaufman-Gutierrez previously served as co-director of the Street Vendor Project at the Urban Justice Center, an organization that advocates for vendor rights.
In a statement, Mamdani said the new Office of Street Vendor Services would “fundamentally transform the relationship that street vendors have with the City.”
“Many New Yorkers’ fondest memories are of grabbing late-night food at their local taco truck or halal cart. But City Hall has too often made their work harder instead of helping it thrive. That changes now,” he said.
“By streamlining bureaucracy and working closely with street vendors themselves, we can lower costs for vendors and their customers alike,” he added.
Mamdani’s announcement comes three months after the City Council voted to pass a package of legislation that included the creation of a new street vendor support division within the Department of Small Business Services.
The legislation also included a bill to increase the number of licenses available to prospective vendors.
While former Mayor Eric Adams vetoed the package just before he left office, the City Council in late January overrode him.
Under Kaufman-Gutierrez’ leadership, the new office “will provide education, outreach and programming and coordinate across agencies to better serve both food and general vendors citywide,” City Hall said in its release.
Kaufman-Gutierrez will also work with other city agencies to push for policy and rule changes that curb “unnecessary penalties” faced by vendors, while still maintaining “fair enforcement,” the release said.
“From the tamaleras of Corona to the portrait artists of Times Square, street vendors fold our city’s unrivaled diversity into our streets and sidewalks. Today, more than ever, our city’s smallest businesses, 96% of whom are immigrants, need resources, advocacy, and protection,” Kaufman-Gutierrez said in a statement.
“Together with street vendors, interagency partners, community-based organizations, and local stakeholders at the table, we can build a more vibrant, and equitable street vending ecosystem across the five boroughs,” she added.