The La Paz City Council continues with plans to comply with the process of reorganizing street commerce in the downtown area and on the city’s boardwalk, after removing, during 2022 and 2023, the stalls that were in the city’s Historic Center.
Since the seventeenth municipal administration, different operations and attempts have been carried out to remove and relocate the stalls to comply with the regulations on Commerce on public roads.
This regulation establishes that the permits are temporary and that their duration should not exceed one year; it also gives the municipal president the power to cancel said permits at any time if the public interest requires it.
Abimael Ibarra Abundez, general secretary of the La Paz City Council, explained that they are actively working on this project that proposes that the vendors will be relocated to a craft market that is currently under construction.
“It is in process, in fact it is in process. It is an area where all street vendors will be relocated, with a municipal craft market so that they can also sell their crafts there. There are many artisans here in La Paz and a melting pot of cultures from all over the country where they can converge in that market.”
What does the La Paz Trade Regulation say?
The operation to remove the vendors is based on the regulation of Trade on the public road, which establishes in its article 5 that the permits and licenses granted to the vendors are temporary and cannot exceed one year.
In addition, the mayor has the power to cancel these permits at any time if it is to serve the public interest or improve the city’s appearance and traffic, as provided in article 7.
Article 8 of the same regulation is also key, as it prohibits the authorization of new permits for semi-permanent stalls in the first square of downtown La Paz, delimited by José María Morelos, Ignacio Allende, Ignacio Altamirano and Paseo Álvaro Obregón avenues, in the tourist area of the boardwalk, a strategic area for tourism and the local economy.
Balance between order and commerce
The City Council plans to establish an urban order without affecting commercial activity. In this sense, the official stressed that the relocation of the vendors is not a punitive measure, but an act of “social justice.”
The creation of a craft market, he indicated, will offer vendors a formal and dignified space to continue their commercial activities, while allowing the tourist attraction of the boardwalk and the main arteries of the city to be preserved.
“As an authority, we cannot allow something that is prohibited by regulation. We are working on improving and reforming the Commerce regulations, because everything must evolve and be organized.”
What are the challenges of the reorganization?
One of the biggest challenges facing the administration is the limitation of resources. Ibarra Abundez admitted that, although the municipal administration has been ambitious in its desire to solve multiple problems, time and resources are not always sufficient; however, he is confident that the project to relocate the vendors to the craft market will advance as planned.
“We were a very ambitious City Council, and I think this one will be the same, wanting to solve many things.”
Despite the difficulties, the municipal administration remains firm in its commitment to comply with the Commerce regulations and ensure that both street vendors and the La Paz community benefit from an orderly and attractive urban environment.
The new craft market will not only offer a safe space for street vendors, but will also become a meeting point for local artisans.
This market, he explained, “will be a reflection of the melting pot of cultures that exists in Baja California Sur,” where artisans from different regions of the country will be able to offer their products to tourists and residents alike.
Source: elsudcaliforniano
