The City Council gave preliminary approval Tuesday to an ordinance that would allow street vendors to stay in one place longer and to amplify sound.

"Here you have the poor of the city asking for a decent, honest living," Amin David, president of Los Amigos business group, told the council. "I think (the city) should yield to what is reasonable for those who aspire to make a better living."

The ordinance, which requires final approval, would allow vendors to park up to an hour in one spot. The current ordinance limits them to 30 minutes and prohibits amplified sound. The new ordinance also reduces insurance requirements for vendors.

A task force of vendors and city staff had presented the council with conflicting recommendations.