T HE C OUNCIL

ROBERT JACKSON 7th District Manhattan Co-Chair

JUMAANE D. WILLIAMS 45TH District Brooklyn Co-Vice Chair MELISSA MARK VIVERITO 8TH District Manhattan Co-Vice Chair MARGARET CHIN 1ST District - Manhattan Secretary DEBORAH ROSE 49TH District Staten Island Treasurer MARIA DEL CARMEN ARROYO

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FERNANDO CABRERA 14th District Bronx Co-Chair

B LACK , L ATINO AND A SIAN C AUCUS

Councilman Daniel R. Garodnick Chair of Consumer Affairs Committee 250 Broadway, Ste. 1880 New York, NY 10007 Dear Councilman Daniel R. Garodnick The Black, Latino and Asian Caucus writes this letter urging the initiation of an oversight hearing for Intros 434 and 435. The pieces of legislation tame a fine structure that unjustly disrupts street vendors ability to sustain their businesses. Under current regulations, distance-from-the-curb violations and license-display violations command the payment of fines ranging from $50 to $1000, based upon the number of subsequent violations. The first violation requires payment of $50, and increases to $100, $250, $500, and $750 before reaching $1000. On average, vendors are fined 4 to 5 times and can pay up to $1650 in fines per year; often forcing the suspension of vendor licenses and increasing the chances that vendors operate illegally. The Caucus believes that this fine structure is unfair to the vendors because it compounds violations that may not be related. Intro 435 addresses this issue by stating that only related violations can compound fines. Intro 434 places a maximum cap on the fines at $250. We support the efforts of Councilman Stephen Levin and the Street Vendors Project in bringing forth legislation that will promote fairness, and we believe that Intros 434 and 435 address the above concerns. An oversight hearing can offer the Consumer Affairs committee an opportunity to hear the concerns of street vendors directly and openly. This Caucus believes that the current fines limit the prosperity and entrepreneurship of vendors who contribute to this Citys economic prosperity. It is our responsibility to ensure that vendors can operate and support their families legally in the City of New York. The hearing that we recommend will allow us all to gain a better understanding of how these fines have negatively impacted the viability of street vendors businesses. Please contact Alex Rias, Director of the Black, Latino and Asian Caucus, at 212-341-9583 or ARias@council.nyc.gov with questions that you or your office may have.

17 District Bronx
Ex-officio Past Chair HELEN DIANE FOSTER 16TH District Bronx Ex-officio Past Chair CHARLES BARRON 42ND District Brooklyn LEROY COMRIE

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27TH District Queens

INEZ E. DICKENS 9TH District - Manhattan MATHIEU EUGENE 40TH District Brooklyn JULISSA FERRERAS 21TH District - Queens SARA GONZALEZ 38TH District Brooklyn LETITIA JAMES

35 District Brooklyn
PETER KOO

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20TH District - Queens

ERIK MARTIN-DILAN 37TH District Brooklyn ANNABEL PALMA 18TH District Bronx DARLENE MEALY

41ST District - Brooklyn

ROSIE MENDEZ 2ND District Manhattan DIANA REYNA 34TH District Brooklyn JOEL RIVERA

15TH District Bronx

YDANIS RODRIGUEZ 10TH District Manhattan LARRY SEABROOK

In Unity,

12TH District Bronx

JAMES SANDERS, JR. ALBERT VANN RUBEN WILLS

31ST District Queens 36TH District Brooklyn

Robert Jackson

Fernando Cabrera

28th District Queens

ALEXANDER RIAS DIRECTOR OF BLAC AFFAIRS

250 BROADWAY, ROOM 1818, NEW YORK, NEW YORK 10007 | 212-341-9583