‘Need to do it right’: Mayor Whitmire does not favor heavy-handed approach to street vendors

It was a cold day in December when a police cruiser pulled up near Carla, a street food vendor who sells fried chicken on a bustling street in southwest Houston.

Carla only had seconds to think about how to react. As an officer exited the vehicle, she froze.

The Houston Health Department website has a 13-point checklist for applicants who want to obtain new mobile food unit permits, a 69-point checklist for food truck floor plans and a 24-page application packet. Some of those documents are provided only in English.

Thomas acknowledged the financial and logistical challenges vendors face.

“I do think for this population it would be a barrier. We would have to walk hand in hand,” Thomas said. “They’re not even first generation. They just got here. So, just the culture of being comfortable working with government, that’s a whole thing by itself.”