Mayor Karen Bass has eased a crackdown on Los Angeles street vendors after she compared them with homeless encampments last week, setting off fierce criticism and creating a flashpoint in her re-election campaign.

During a heated debate with Nithya Raman, a progressive Democrat whom Ms. Bass will face in November’s election, the mayor said that she did not believe that vendors should be allowed to sell food in front of restaurants.

“I do not think that you should have a food vendor in front of a restaurant. Period,” Ms. Bass said, suggesting that the vendors should be restricted to certain locations, and, eventually, move into brick-and-mortar facilities.

“You can move that person so that person can have a living, make money, but not right in front of a restaurant that discourages patrons from going in,” she said. “Just like you shouldn’t have encampments in front of restaurants, or in front of schools.”

The comments angered some vendors and others who criticized Ms. Bass for conflating them with homeless people. They said the comment showed that the mayor was out of touch with what many consider to be one of the most beloved parts of Los Angeles’s food culture.

“These are individuals who are moms, who are our uncles, who work legitimately, who wake up really early,” said Sergio Jimenez, who has organized with street vendors across Los Angeles for close to a decade.

“They’re not addicts. They’re not taking funds from the government,” he said, adding that many had fought for years to legalize parts of their industry. “It was like a slap in the face,” he said.

Across the sprawling city, vendors serve tamales from coolers, assemble flame-roasted meat on hot tortillas and grill bacon-wrapped sausages until crispy. They pop up on corners, in parking lots and outside grocery stores. Some have folding tables for patrons. Their food is far cheaper than what many restaurants offer. Yet many are just as well known and beloved — with lines often stretching down the road.

Historically, street vending has also been an easily accessible profession for new immigrants who may not have the resources to open a brick-and-mortar shop, and they offer a familiar taste of home to Angelenos far from their home countries.

Under state law, sidewalk vending is decriminalized, though vendors must follow local regulations and obtain permits. But advocates say that the police have sometimes used an anti-camping ordinance to issue citations to vendors at MacArthur Park, a hub in one of Los Angeles’s most immigrant-heavy neighborhoods. Mr. Jimenez said he had worked with about a dozen vendors who he believed had been wrongly cited.

In a statement on Thursday, Ms. Bass’s office said she “stands firmly with street vendors” and had directed the Los Angeles Police Department to stop issuing them criminal citations, and to dismiss those issued in error, “ensuring they are not left with criminal records for working to provide for their families.”

Paige Sterling, a spokeswoman for Ms. Bass, said that the police had informed Ms. Bass’s office that criminal citations had been issued in error around MacArthur Park. The mayor’s office has asked the police to confirm that the issue was not more widespread, the spokeswoman said.

“Street vending is a quintessential part of L.A.’s world-class food scene and a livelihood for thousands of hard-working Angelenos,” her office said, noting that it had spent nearly $500,000 this fiscal year on a joint program with Los Angeles County that helps vendors establish or grow their businesses.

The Los Angeles Police Department did not immediately respond to a request seeking more information on Thursday.

The dispute has further highlighted the divide between Ms. Bass, 72, a nationally known Democrat who has struggled to rebound since the Los Angeles wildfires, and Ms. Raman, a City Council member and former Bass ally who has drawn comparisons to New York’s democratic socialist mayor, Zohran Mamdani.

In recent months, the two candidates have clashed over policing, housing and homelessness — all evidence of an ideological and generational divide between the center-left Democratic establishment that has shaped the city for years, and young progressives. Ms. Raman, 44, has described the vendors as among the most vibrant and visible parts of the city’s economy.

In 2024, Ms. Raman backed a measure reducing the city’s vending permit fee to $27.51 from $541. She has criticized state laws and a confusing process that stops many stands from getting the health permits they need to operate legally.

Speaking at a taco stand on Wednesday, Ms. Raman said Ms. Bass “took a shot at street vendors” but that she planned to work with them to regulate and legalize operations.

Mr. Jimenez said that while there was a long way to go toward improving conditions, the news that the police would stop issuing criminal citations to vendors was “a positive step.”