City and County of San Francisco: merchandising sales.

Senator Wiener's legislation empowers San Francisco to establish a permit system for merchandise sales on public property, responding to patterns of retail theft within city limits. The proposed ordinance would require vendors to demonstrate lawful acquisition of their goods, while excluding most food items from regulation.

The measure creates a structured framework requiring extensive public engagement before implementation, including multilingual outreach and community workshops. A designated permitting agency, separate from law enforcement, would oversee the program with a graduated penalty system - starting with warnings for first offenses and potentially escalating to misdemeanor charges for repeat violations. Permit fees would be capped at $25 for low-income vendors and those receiving public benefits.

The ordinance includes privacy safeguards prohibiting collection of immigration status, criminal history, or citizenship information from permit applicants. Alternative forms of identification like municipal IDs or taxpayer numbers must be accepted in lieu of social security numbers. Annual reports to the Legislature would detail permit issuance, enforcement actions, and demographic data on citations. The authority would sunset in 2034 unless renewed, with the Board of Supervisors required to review and reauthorize the findings yearly based on evidence of continued need.