EDITORIAL STREET VENDING SOLUTIONS THIS IS AN ISSUE FOR L.A.'S NEIGHBORHOOD COUNCILS.

THE thousands of illegal street vendors that can be found throughout Los Angeles are a blessing or a curse, depending on who you ask.

Neighboring businesses, whose sales are undercut by unregulated competitors that don't pay taxes or permit fees, loathe street-corner hawkers. But residents of poorer neighborhoods that lack commercial development are grateful for the chance to buy produce or snacks within walking distance of their homes.

Currently, City Hall bans all such activity, but does nothing to enforce the ban - city government's answer to nearly all our problems. The Los Angeles Police Department has bigger concerns than tamale stands, and as long as a demand remains for these businesses, no amount of police interference will make them disappear.

If ever there were an issue for neighborhood councils, this would be it.

Were the councils given authority over licensing and approving street vendors, local needs and concerns could govern. Communities could impose their own standards - far more effectively than City Hall does now. They would also be able to effectively monitor compliance and report offenders.

In a diverse city such as L.A., diverse solutions are needed. Let street vendors thrive where they're wanted and wilt where they're not, with local communities making the decision for themselves. That would be a step forward for a city that ought to reflect the values and interests of the neighborhoods.