LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — A significant development for street food vendors in Las Vegas as Senate Bill 92, which legalizes their operations, has just been signed into law by Gov. Lombardo.
“Coming from Mexico, she has been selling fruit and other items just like this. It's a part of her culture. It's how she feeds her family,” Mariabell Flores said through translator Alyssa Cortes.
Flores has been selling fruit throughout the Las Vegas Valley for the past year.
“She wakes up every morning at 5 a.m. to choose fresh fruit,” Cortes said.
However, most of her business hours have been spent hiding from city officials and law enforcement.
“She does fear that someone might come and destroy her items,” Cortes said. “When city officials came, they told her that she needs to dispose of her fruit.”
But now, with the signing of S.B. 92, Flores and many other food vendors can earn money without constantly looking over their shoulders.
The bill permits food vendors to sell their products with the necessary permits. Robert Garcia from Make the Road Nevada explains why this bill will mean a significant economic boost for the Latin community.
“Before S.B. 92, many of them had to worry about one-third of their income would be destroyed or disposed of," Garcia said.
Now that what she is doing is legal, Flores hopes to be recognized as a respected business owner.
“That’s why we came to this country to work hard to provide for our families. Yes. We get up early and sleep late but that’s what we're here to do, provide for our families, and we follow through with that,” Cortes said.
The vendors tell Channel 13 they plan to expand their businesses across the entire valley now that S.B. 92 has passed.
