THE BUZZ: IN PLAIN SIGHT — Each day in San Francisco, vendors line busy city streets with a plethora of fully packaged items: shampoo, mouth wash, multi-vitamins, deodorant and laundry detergent. Mayor London Breed calls it “Walgreens on the sidewalk” — a confluence of the city’s struggles with unchecked shoplifting, its fentanyl addiction crisis and a state law that has made it extremely difficult to get the vendors off the streets, even if they are selling stolen goods. Breed is now pushing to change that law as widespread frustration with retail theft and the blatant sale of stolen merchandise threatens her reelection bid. She has drawn sharp criticism from the right and left over her handling of the problem. Several of her challengers in the November mayoral election, including Daniel Lurie and Mark Farrell, say she hasn’t done enough as major retailers, Walgreens included, continue to close stores. Neighborhood and immigrant-rights groups in the Mission, meanwhile, say her approach — blanket moratoriums on all street vending in certain areas — threatens to criminalize legitimate mom-and-pop merchants. Late last year, Breed temporarily banned street vending along a bustling stretch of Mission Street — a restriction her administration recently extended through the summer due to crime in the area. But Breed said a 2018 state law has made that ban almost impossible to enforce. The law, carried by former state legislator and Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara and cheered by civil-rights and Latino advocacy groups, blocks police from criminally enforcing any regulations on street vending. That means San Francisco must use public works employees to enforce vending rules, including Breed’s moratorium — but those workers are now being accompanied by police, as they say they have faced repeated threats and violence. City officials say it’s an inefficiency they can’t afford when San Francisco is already down nearly 600 officers. Breed is leaning on lawmakers to relax the restrictions on police enforcement so that officers could approach vendors selling commonly-stolen goods. She’s working with state Sen. Scott Wiener and mayors from other large cities — including Todd Gloria in San Diego and Jerry Dyer in Fresno — on the legislation. “When people are out there basically with Walgreens on the sidewalk, our officers should be able to walk up,” Breed, a Democrat, vented in an interview with Playbook. Wiener, a Breed ally, has yet to unveil a bill and might not endorse the policing approach. He said he’s exploring legislation that would clamp down on illegal fencing and also make it easier for above-board vendors to obtain permits and find spaces to operate. “Street vendors make San Francisco a better place — reflecting our rich, diverse cultures (and) providing opportunities for people to earn a living,” Wiener said. “At the same time, people shouldn’t be selling shoplifted goods on the streets.” But any legislative effort is likely to face strong opposition. Breed has already faced backlash for enacting a temporary ban along Mission Street, an immigrant neighborhood with a tradition of street vendors selling food, handmade jewelry and reused clothing and furniture. United to Save the Mission, a coalition of neighborhood groups, says the narrative from Breed has demonized roaming vendors whose carts and stalls have lined Mission Street for generations. “Despite their contributions,” the group wrote in a letter last month, “informal workers are currently being stigmatized with narrative and exclusionary actions by city authorities.” GOOD MORNING. Happy Monday. Thanks for waking up with Playbook. And a happy solar eclipse day to all who observe! Californians will get a partial view of the phenomenon in the mid-morning. More here on how to catch it without burning your eyes out. Now you can text us at 916-562-0685 — save it as “CA Playbook” in your contacts now. Or drop us a line at lkorte@politico.com and dgardiner@politico.com, or on X — @DustinGardiner and @Lara_Korte. WHERE’S GAVIN? Out of state for some spring break fun with the fam. | 
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