New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani cited “halalflation” when he appointed Carina Kaufman-Gutierrez to lead the city’s Office of Street Vendor Services.
“The city’s 23,000 street vendors are squeezed by skyrocketing permit costs and government getting in the way,” he said. “That’s part of why we’re seeing ‘halalflation.’”
“From the Street Vendor Project to now City Hall, Carina is a longtime fighter for street vendors,” he added. “Together, we will make sure city laws and city government are on their side.”
Kaufman-Gutierrez, a co-director of the Street Vendor Project at the Urban Justice Center, vowed to “build a more vibrant and equitable street vending ecosystem across the five boroughs.”
“From the tamaleras of Corona to the portrait artists of Times Square, street vendors fold our city’s unrivaled diversity into our streets and sidewalks,” she stated. “Today, more than ever, our city’s smallest businesses, 96% of whom are immigrants, need resources, advocacy and protection.”
