DEPUTIES CITE 12 IN VALLEY STREET-VENDOR SWEEP.

Byline: Greg Botonis Staff Writer

PALMDALE - Twelve people selling flowers, cooked corn and fruit on street corners this week were cited and a van was confiscated in a crackdown on illegal vendors.

The sweep last weekend followed dozens of complaints from local business owners who say they lose money to illegal competitors.

``The licensed business owners pay their taxes and get their business licenses and they do it all legally,'' said Sgt. Kyle Bistline of the Palmdale sheriff's station's Partners Against Crime unit.

In addition, illegal food vendors pose a health hazard to customers because they are not inspected like licensed retailers, Bistline said. Street-corner corn vendors frequently leave condiments in the sun and store ice in dirty coolers, he said.

Vendors are often brought to the Antelope Valley from Los Angeles and other places because police stop them elsewhere, Bistline said.

``One of the comments we hear all the time is that the LAPD or other law enforcement from down there turn the heat on,'' he said. ``They say they're not bothered as much out here.''

During the Jan. 29 sweep, sheriff's deputies located a van that had been used to transport illegal vendors to Palmdale. The van was confiscated because its driver had no driver's license.

Deputies try to identify the vendors' suppliers, but the vendors most often won't cooperate for fear of losing work, Bistline said.

The merchandise was confiscated by city code enforcement officers, who gave the vendors a receipt in case the owners want to claim it.

Some of the 12 had been cited previously in Palmdale. Because illegal vendors are frequently in the United States illegally, they give deputies false names, Bistline said. Deputies photograph them for later comparisons.

Greg Botonis, [phone]

gregory.botonis(at)dailynews.com