Do We Have an Appetite for Food Trucks?

By JOHN HARLOW | Editor-in-Chief

If Rick Caruso does not bring more affordable food to the Palisades Village project, then Pacific Palisades Community Council member Rick Mills is prepared to open up his own hot dog stand in front of the Cinépolis movie theater.

And, he told the PPCC on Thursday, Feb. 8, it will be offering Manhattan-style dogs.

There was a veritable gasp of hungry hope around the meeting.

And yet, at the same time, the community council is worried about the spread of Californian mobile food culture and sidewalk vending to Pacific Palisades.

It is considering opposing the statewide decriminalization of sidewalk vending, ostensibly to avoid unfair competition with other restaurants and parking issues.

Some on the council believe deregulation is a further encroachment of local control, and they should be free to regulate or even ban such vendors from the Palisades.

Currently the most popular taco trucks, including Tacolandia prize-winning Gracias Señor and AA Pinto on Sunset in the Village, not only pay city fees but also parking: Chefs can be spotted jumping out of the truck mid-order to fill a meter, just like any other desperate Palisadian.

Fans say such vendors are the only reason why many gardeners and cleaners can afford to both work and eat in the Palisades. They are also popular among teens.

PPCC has not fully debated the issue recently but at the last meeting, Eric Marshall, a former PPCC candidate, warned the councilors they should be on “the right side of history” on this issue.

“The criminalization of vending disproportionately targets the most vulnerable Californians—low-income, immigrant communities,” he said. “We should have the courage and empathy to stand with those communities. If the council can’t bring itself to do that, it should simply stay quiet.

“The bill does not eliminate local control, but rather incentivizes cities to create their own clear and fair regulations for sidewalk vending.

“Without clear regulations in LA, confusion results in harassment and citations that are financially burdensome for low-income families.

“In other California cities where vending is a crime, the consequences of a violation can be even worse—jail time, deportation and the destruction of a family. All for trying to put food on the table.

“The council should consider the circumstances immigrant communities face at this moment and have some compassion.”

The issue may be discussed further at the next PPCC meeting at Palisades Branch Library at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 22.