Mayor Adams vetoes law to decriminalize street vending; City Council may override

Mayor Adams vetoed an effort to decriminalize street vendors in the city

Mayor Eric Adams vetoed the City Council’s effort to decriminalize street vending — setting the stage for a likely override vote and backlash from immigrant rights groups.

Under the law passed by the City Council last month, unlicensed New York City vendors would no longer face misdemeanor charges and jail time for selling food or goods on the streets. But Adams says that the bill, known as Intro 47-B, prevents the NYPD from doing their job and poses public health and safety risks to New Yorkers.

“We cannot be so idealistic that we’re not realistic — preventing the brave men and women of the NYPD from intervening, even in the most egregious cases, is unfair to law-abiding business owners,” Adams said in a statement.

The Council voted 40-8 to pass the bill, with 3 abstentions, meaning it already has enough votes to override the mayor — something it has not been shy about doing in the past.

Cracking down on crime has been a centerpiece of Adams’ time in office and his upcoming re-election campaign. According to a recent analysis by City Limits, the number of tickets doled out to street vendors doubled in 2024 over the previous calendar year.

“Our administration has been committed not just to making New Yorkers safe, but to making them feel safe, too,” Adams said. “That includes addressing persistent quality-of-life issues like illegal street vending.”

Nearly all the city's street vendors are immigrants, according to a recent report by the Immigration Research Initiative.

Councilmember Shekar Krishnan, who represents Elmhurst and Jackson Heights in Queens, accused the mayor of putting immigrants at risk for deportation over low-level offenses.

“As Mayor Adams tries to endanger our city, we will not back down from a fight to protect immigrant New Yorkers and create a better system for street vendors," said Krishnan, the bill's primary sponsor.

The city’s Street Vendor Advisory Board, formed in 2021, supported the removal of misdemeanor criminal penalties, according to the report released by the group the following year. The board comprises staff from different city agencies, including the NYPD.

“As the Trump administration continues to attack working families and immigrant communities, Mayor Adams’ veto is yet another example of him supporting Trump’s agenda over New Yorkers,” City Council spokesperson Julia Agos said in a statement.