Public health complaints tied to street food vendors across Los Angeles County have surged to nearly 10,000 over the past three years, according to county records obtained through a public records request. The complaints, which cover neighborhoods including Koreatown and other parts of the city, include allegations of unsafe food handling, pests near food and meat left out in the heat.
From 2023 through early 2026, the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health received 9,746 complaints about street vendors, according to the data cited in the report. One of the areas highlighted was Pico-Union, just south of Olympic Boulevard along Vermont Avenue near Koreatown, where street vending and informal economic activity are said to be especially active.
In South Los Angeles near Hawthorne Boulevard, one complaint about a taco stand said workers had no place to wash their hands and were not properly changing gloves. The complainant also alleged that a dog was eating meat from a bag and the vendor continued serving it to customers. That complaint was closed without further action.
Other complaints described salsa and other sauces left open next to trash cans near Los Angeles International Airport, with rats reportedly moving around the area. In Venice Beach, another complaint said hot dogs, bread and sauces were being heated all day under the sun. The report said the city remains relatively permissive toward sidewalk vendors, even as sanitation concerns continue to grow.
