It seems to be open season on Mexican-Americans nowadays. First the government is trying to kick us out of the country, and now trying to stop taco trucks from being in business. Why? Because these corporations are lobbying for it that's why. It's ok for you to buy a taco from taco bell after 9 pm, but not a taco from a taqueria?? C'mon mane.
City Staff Propose Changes that will End a Centuries-old
Cultural Way of Eating
Public Informational Meeting to be held Wed. April 12 at 6 pm at the Library Galleria, 9th and I Streets
Sacramento-A little known, antiquated and never before enforced city code is being used as the impetus for cracking down on Taco Trucks in Sacramento.
Taco Trucks have been a part of the City’s landscape for nearly a century, if not longer. Customers have enjoyed the convenience of eating at these trucks for years and years. Traditionally, Taco Trucks begin selling at the lunch hour and continue sales into the late evening and on weekends until 2 a.m. These have been the eating establishments of choice for thousands of customers that like eating after a late game, late party or night out. It has been the Mexican “fast food” tradition since long before the first McDonald’s ever opened up as the American version of fast food.
“No one really knows why the sudden interest in controlling the way and times that taco trucks sell in Sacramento, but city staff are recommending changes that will greatly hamper sales and basically eliminate a convenient, economic and traditional way of eating for Mexicans,” said George Azar who owns La Mex Taqueria that has been selling tacos, burritos and tortas for the past eight years on Northgate Boulevard near West El Camino Avenue.
A provision of the city code was written in the very early 1900’s for mobile food vendors that provided a convenient way of eating for construction workers that needed food to come to them. The provision calls for trucks to move every 15 minutes and to close by 8 p.m. Why the closing 8 p.m. requirement was chosen back then is unclear to everyone. The only conclusion is that construction sites aren’t open late at night so there must not have been a reason to have it any later. However, today, “no one can give me a logical explanation why my type of business must close at 8 p.m. There is no such requirement for any other fast food business, including Taco Bell, McDonald’s, and Burger King” Azar continued.
While the current code requires the 8 p.m. shut down, it also requires vendors on public right-of-ways to move every 15 minutes unless parked on private property with the property owner’s permission. The City is recommending not only enforcing the 8 p.m. shut-down for all Mobile Food Vendors (trucks) but also wants trucks to move every 15 minutes even if on private property.
“Taco vendors have been a part of the Mexican culture for centuries in Mexico and in every other major city of California. It clearly has been a part of Sacramento Latino culture for as long as my parents, grandparents and I can remember,” added Azar.
City staff is responding to criticism that can be traced to a variety of complaints that began when Azar opened his truck in 1998. Shortly after inaugurating his truck, sales at some of the brick and mortar restaurants near his truck began to fall. The owner’s of those restaurants began calling city enforcement to look into various alleged problems. Having been unsuccessful in all claims (claiming no permits, etc.) they turned to the decades-old provision of mobile vendors needing to move every 15 minutes. In defense, Azar successfully argued that he was on private property and therefore was not required to move. That led to the discovery of the 8 p.m. closing provision. This provision had never before been enforced and to this day is not enforced, perhaps because there is no logical explanation for it to be enforced.
“If a restaurant’s sales are falling, they should improve their food or their service. Government should not take a position of restricting competition in our free enterprise capitalist society,” Azar added.
Now staff recommends stiffening the rules, moving the enforcement authority from city revenue staff to city code enforcement staff, adding code enforcers and beginning a crack down on this particular industry. Although crime seems to be the purported reason for the crack down, at a public hearing of the City Council Law and Legislation Committee on February 7, 2006, testimony was made that “police have better things to do than to respond to crime issues at these trucks.” Taco truck owners, on the other hand, feel that they should not be restricted in their ability to run their legitimate businesses as a way to crack down on crime at a few locations. “You don’t limit the business hours of 7-Elevens, bars and gas stations because there’s crime at many of those locations, why would you do it with Taco Trucks? Are we simply an easier target?” asked Azar.
“I’ve had my truck parked on private property for eight years and have not had any of the problems the city purports to be occurring at taco trucks (crime, blight). At neighborhood association meetings, officers from Sacramento Police Department have even spoken on my behalf saying they have never seen any problems at my truck. In fact, they are frequent customers,” said Azar.
“I have all my permits in order and I’ve invested in a brand new truck so that I could better serve my customers,” Azar continued. “Now that I have this huge debt for the new truck, the City wants to basically shut me down. Nearly 70% of all my sales are made in the late evening and early morning hours,” Azar added. “That’s the case with all Taco Trucks. In our culture, we like to have ‘tacos on the run’ and many times at very late and early morning hours. It’s been a way of eating for generations and generations of Mexicans and with the mainstreaming and acceptance of our food and customs, I have many customers of all races,” concluded Azar. “Don’t those customers have rights also?”
Sidhu Harnek, the owner of SP Liquor Mart on Northgate Blvd, who rents space to La Mex Taqueria, states “crime has come down at my store since the Taco Truck has been parked up front. There’s more light, more activity and when I shut down and the truck stays open I can go home and have a restful sleep,” Harnek concluded.
The City announced last week that it will hold public informational meetings at which recommended changes for Mobile Food Vendors will be discussed. The meeting will be held at the Library Galleria, 828 I Street, Sacramento, 6 p.m.-7 p.m.
City Staff Propose Changes that will End a Centuries-old
Cultural Way of Eating
Public Informational Meeting to be held Wed. April 12 at 6 pm at the Library Galleria, 9th and I Streets
Sacramento-A little known, antiquated and never before enforced city code is being used as the impetus for cracking down on Taco Trucks in Sacramento.
Taco Trucks have been a part of the City’s landscape for nearly a century, if not longer. Customers have enjoyed the convenience of eating at these trucks for years and years. Traditionally, Taco Trucks begin selling at the lunch hour and continue sales into the late evening and on weekends until 2 a.m. These have been the eating establishments of choice for thousands of customers that like eating after a late game, late party or night out. It has been the Mexican “fast food” tradition since long before the first McDonald’s ever opened up as the American version of fast food.
“No one really knows why the sudden interest in controlling the way and times that taco trucks sell in Sacramento, but city staff are recommending changes that will greatly hamper sales and basically eliminate a convenient, economic and traditional way of eating for Mexicans,” said George Azar who owns La Mex Taqueria that has been selling tacos, burritos and tortas for the past eight years on Northgate Boulevard near West El Camino Avenue.
A provision of the city code was written in the very early 1900’s for mobile food vendors that provided a convenient way of eating for construction workers that needed food to come to them. The provision calls for trucks to move every 15 minutes and to close by 8 p.m. Why the closing 8 p.m. requirement was chosen back then is unclear to everyone. The only conclusion is that construction sites aren’t open late at night so there must not have been a reason to have it any later. However, today, “no one can give me a logical explanation why my type of business must close at 8 p.m. There is no such requirement for any other fast food business, including Taco Bell, McDonald’s, and Burger King” Azar continued.
While the current code requires the 8 p.m. shut down, it also requires vendors on public right-of-ways to move every 15 minutes unless parked on private property with the property owner’s permission. The City is recommending not only enforcing the 8 p.m. shut-down for all Mobile Food Vendors (trucks) but also wants trucks to move every 15 minutes even if on private property.
“Taco vendors have been a part of the Mexican culture for centuries in Mexico and in every other major city of California. It clearly has been a part of Sacramento Latino culture for as long as my parents, grandparents and I can remember,” added Azar.
City staff is responding to criticism that can be traced to a variety of complaints that began when Azar opened his truck in 1998. Shortly after inaugurating his truck, sales at some of the brick and mortar restaurants near his truck began to fall. The owner’s of those restaurants began calling city enforcement to look into various alleged problems. Having been unsuccessful in all claims (claiming no permits, etc.) they turned to the decades-old provision of mobile vendors needing to move every 15 minutes. In defense, Azar successfully argued that he was on private property and therefore was not required to move. That led to the discovery of the 8 p.m. closing provision. This provision had never before been enforced and to this day is not enforced, perhaps because there is no logical explanation for it to be enforced.
“If a restaurant’s sales are falling, they should improve their food or their service. Government should not take a position of restricting competition in our free enterprise capitalist society,” Azar added.
Now staff recommends stiffening the rules, moving the enforcement authority from city revenue staff to city code enforcement staff, adding code enforcers and beginning a crack down on this particular industry. Although crime seems to be the purported reason for the crack down, at a public hearing of the City Council Law and Legislation Committee on February 7, 2006, testimony was made that “police have better things to do than to respond to crime issues at these trucks.” Taco truck owners, on the other hand, feel that they should not be restricted in their ability to run their legitimate businesses as a way to crack down on crime at a few locations. “You don’t limit the business hours of 7-Elevens, bars and gas stations because there’s crime at many of those locations, why would you do it with Taco Trucks? Are we simply an easier target?” asked Azar.
“I’ve had my truck parked on private property for eight years and have not had any of the problems the city purports to be occurring at taco trucks (crime, blight). At neighborhood association meetings, officers from Sacramento Police Department have even spoken on my behalf saying they have never seen any problems at my truck. In fact, they are frequent customers,” said Azar.
“I have all my permits in order and I’ve invested in a brand new truck so that I could better serve my customers,” Azar continued. “Now that I have this huge debt for the new truck, the City wants to basically shut me down. Nearly 70% of all my sales are made in the late evening and early morning hours,” Azar added. “That’s the case with all Taco Trucks. In our culture, we like to have ‘tacos on the run’ and many times at very late and early morning hours. It’s been a way of eating for generations and generations of Mexicans and with the mainstreaming and acceptance of our food and customs, I have many customers of all races,” concluded Azar. “Don’t those customers have rights also?”
Sidhu Harnek, the owner of SP Liquor Mart on Northgate Blvd, who rents space to La Mex Taqueria, states “crime has come down at my store since the Taco Truck has been parked up front. There’s more light, more activity and when I shut down and the truck stays open I can go home and have a restful sleep,” Harnek concluded.
The City announced last week that it will hold public informational meetings at which recommended changes for Mobile Food Vendors will be discussed. The meeting will be held at the Library Galleria, 828 I Street, Sacramento, 6 p.m.-7 p.m.
