Save Mobile Vendors

(sign the petition by leaving your name and city and a note, if you like, in the comments below)

Recently, the Sacramento City Council almost-unanimously enacted an ordinance drastically restricting the ways in which mobile food vendors - principally taco trucks - may do business in the city. Even though the vast majority of Sacramento's taco trucks (including all those relied upon by downtown and Natomas third-shift employees) do business from private property - parking lots where they've received owner permission to be - the new city regulations basically tell property owners that they don't know what's best for themselves, and enact all sorts of new rules on the trucks.

And even though the ordinance claims to only regulate "operation on the public right-of-way," we've been told by two sources on the City Council staff that it will be enforced against trucks in private parking lots, as well, even if they have permission from the property owner to vend at that location.

5.68.170 Operation on the public right-of-way. (full text here)
It is unlawful for any person to operate a food vending vehicle while stopped, standing or parked on the public right-of-way:

• A. Between the hours of eight p.m. of one day and five a.m. of the following day during the months of April, May, June, July, August, September and October;
• B. Between the hours of six p.m. of one day and five a.m. of the following day during the months of November, December, January, February and March.
• C. For more than thirty (30) minutes in one location, without moving to a new location at least four hundred (400) feet away;
• D. Within four hundred (400) feet of a location where the same food vending vehicle previously operated, on the same calendar day;
• E. Within four hundred (400) feet of any other food vending vehicle; or
• F.  Within one hundred (100) feet of any street intersection controlled by a traffic light or stop sign. (Ord. 2008-008 § 2)

Certainly it would be next to impossible for the trucks to move, heat up the grills, set up their fridges, cook & serve & then clean before decamping for their next location all in 30 minutes. In fact, it's almost impossible to set up and get the grill going - not to mention actually sell any food - in under 25 minutes, according to at least one truck operator; by enforcing these regulations, the city will actually decrease safety and cleanliness by reducing cleaning & proper setup times.

City Council staff have claimed that they did indeed talk to taco truck owners, but we've been able to talk to over a dozen - including the proprietors of every downtown, Arden and Natomas area truck - and not a single one can remember ever being approached by anyone from the city; none were told about the city council meeting where the vote was held, and none have been told about the new regulations.

The California Apellate court has already ruled that similar regulations in other cities were "prior restraint of trade," and while I'm no attorney, if the law says that other California cities can't put hardworking people who are providing a public service out of business, I don't see why such competition-killing tactics are allowed by the City Council (especially when the California Vehicle Code says very clearly that street vendors can't be prohibited).

This regulation is the same kind of anti-immigrant, classist abuse we've come to expect from the Sacramento City Council; it doesn't surprise me, but what does surprise me is that half of the council refused to reply to calls & emails asking if they talked to any of the vendors, and the rest flat-out lied, telling me there were links between the trucks and crime - even when the Sacramento Police Department says quite succinctly that they have no record of any such correlation.

Sacramento's taco trucks a part of our California culture, they are clean and safe to eat from (all are inspected as often or more often than restaurants, and on average all are substantially cleaner and have less violations than restaurants, due to the fact that most are owner-operated, cleaned out daily and have visible kitchen areas). Please help us keep them!

By signing your name and location below, you attest that you disagree with the Sacramento City Council's decision to criminalize most mobile food vendors in the city, and agree that you'd like our taco trucks back, health-inspected & safe, where they can serve Sacramento residents.

(sign the petition by leaving your name and city and a note, if you like, in the comments below)

Comments

[wm o smith]

I disagree with the Sacramento City Council's decision to criminalize most mobile food vendors in the city, and agree that you'd like our taco trucks back, health-inspected & safe, where they can serve Sacramento residents.

[Chris G]

I, too, disagree with the Sacramento City Council's decision, and agree that you'd like our taco trucks back, health-inspected & safe.

[Kris Felscher]

While I am not a Sacramento County resident I strongly oppose the City Council's decision.

[g steinberg]

Fight crime, not food! I disagree with the council's decision regarding vendors.

[Mark Teemer]

I disagree with the Sacramento City Counils to criminalize mobile food vendors in the city.
Save our Taco Trucks.

[Allen B]

While I don't believe this was done to get at immigrants (legal or otherwise), I do think it smells of one area of the food industry using their "donations" to put competition out of business. City Hall politics at it's worst. I strongly disagree with the council's decision.

[Amber S]

Such regulations are not very far-sighted in a city that is booming with events like Second Saturday, which draw some of their character from the likes of the one-man-band in his van. The roach coaches are part of the character of what's fun about our city. In fact, in NY, they are taking it to a whole new level, and by golly, I want Sacramento to embrace the taco truck culture so we can have THIS!: http://www.nytimes.com....

I sure hope City Council looks into the future on this decision with some innovative vision. These trucks aren't just about cheap food. They're also a way for small business folks to "make it" with their culinary crafts. Save the taco trucks!

[d. dasari]

save our taco trucks! theyre a vital part of any city. esp in northern california.

-d. alameda, ca.

[Ali]

This is crap! SAVE THE TACO TRUCKS!

[Wendy R.]

Don't ban the lunch wagons and taco trucks!

[Gil Silberman]

Taco trucks are a staple of convenience food, add local character, and are a wonderful type of local entrepreneurial business for hardworking people to make something of themselves while contributing to the neighborhood. As an occasional visitor to Sacramento I'll definitely stop at a taco truck for a quick meal. If not I'll just eat what I have with me or wait until I get there. Banning an earnest, quality local business is really shooting yourself in the foot, culturally and economically.

[Sacramento Weddings]

Taco Trucks are your mobile Taqueria, and obviously the bricks-and-mortar mexican restaurants are feeling the pinch from these establishments.
I'm all for saving the trucks!

[Dane Henas]

Doesn't the Sacramento City Council have anything better to do? Shame on you! Consider this petition signed!!

[g mitchell]

City, please don't bar hard working people from making money delivering to the people some goddamn delicious food. Don't you think it's better to have one truck going to many people than many people driving and emitting a ton of NOx? Think of the environment! Save our Taco Trucks!

[Ben]

While not a Sacto resident, I am a big supporter of food trucks. Petition signed! Let em serve! To prohibit it would be unlawful!

[Garrett]

30 minutes is about how long it takes to set up and heat the grill. This regulation is outrageous and silly. No research was done for them to actually make these claims.

[Luis L.]

This makes no sense at all, this rule must go. If the rule don't fit, you must acquit!

[Khan]

When they came for the Tacos we were silent. No mas! Taco Rights, Now!

[sylvia]

my belly wants to carty all the time, carty all the time, carty all the tiiime!!!!

save the carts!

[K Dawg]

Cart discrimination is always the first sign of a class war that's tipping in the wrong direction. Viva las tacos!

[Josh Nelson]

I don't even know what to say. Are we going to outlaw catering next?

[Melissa]

I disagree with the Sacramento City Council's decision to criminalize most mobile food vendors in the city, and agree that you'd like our taco trucks back, health-inspected & safe, where they can serve Sacramento residents.
Another example of short-sighted politicians - could we focus and spend some time on more important issues - such as energy resources and crime?

[Manda]

I'm all for mobile food trucks. As long as they pass health inspections, they're fine and dandy. Those are some good eats! They add culinary diversity to the food scene. I live in San Francisco and I love going taco truck hopping to find the best of the best. I've known people who have hired taco trucks to "cater" their events.

Is the council going to ban other catering trucks too? The ones hawking sandwiches, snacks, and other items? Do you realize that for some industrial parts of cities, it's the most convenient, if not ONLY source of meals, especially during off-shifts.

Taco trucks deter me from visiting? The politicians, horrendous air quality, and the awful highways scare me more.

Sacramento City Council, find a more pressing issue instead of beating down immigrants trying to make a decent living. What a sorry attempt at veiled racism. Pathetic.

[Phil Osborn]

It was a pathetic decision to rob us Sacramentans of our beloved taco trucks. It robs us of the best cultural exchange possible: The sharing of great cheap food.

Carne asada is not a crime.

[Miranda]

Thank you for posting this! One thing I've really missed since moving to Sacramento from the San Joaquin valley are the taco trucks. I've never known anyone to get sick from eating taco truck food, and see no reason to punish people for ingenuity in avoiding the overhead of renting a building. Please get rid of this ridiculous legislation!