A Torrance Christmas tradition that’s been around for decades is facing a food vending crackdown this year -- leaving some residents displeased.
The event is called “Sleepy Hollow,” a non-sanctioned event put on by homeowners in the Seaside Ranchos neighborhood every December. It features Christmas lights adorning trees and extra-large decorations on front lawns.
Every year, the nighttime spectacle attracts thousands of people – some driving through, others strolling along the sidewalks. But this year, one of the homes on Reese Road features an empty card table and a large sign that says, “BANNED” – a reference to a Torrance City Council decision to begin fining residents who sell food or drinks prepared in their own kitchens.
The home’s owner is James Casale, whose four daughters raised hundreds of dollars for various charities at that little table over the years. The sisters donated their proceeds to sports teams, the Girl Scouts and St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital.
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All of his daughters are grown now, but Casale said he put up the sign for families that won’t have the same opportunity in the future.
“Their kids are not going to be able to do what my kids were able to do over the last 20 years,” he said.
People who live on the quiet residential street say everything changed in 2018 when the state of California opened the door for street vendors to begin selling at events like Sleepy Hollow.
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“We got invaded by outside vendors pulling up in the middle of the street with barbecue pits," Casale said.
Citing the added danger and prohibitive cost of policing the crowds, Torrance council members this year began enforcing a rule that prohibits outside vendors from selling their wares on the neighborhood’s sidewalks, which are not large enough to legally accommodate them.
But at the same time, they voted to let the city’s “Cottage Food Pilot Program” expire. Under that rule, local vendors were still allowed to sell from their homes until 9 p.m.; now, they have to stop at 5 p.m.
Some residents, like Brent Maille, applaud the city’s decision, although he admits that it’s a shame the fundraising couldn’t continue.
“It’s always been this battle between what we call the ‘outside vendors’ and the ‘resident vendors,’” he said. “You can’t do one and not the other. It’s not fair.”
