The city of Sacramento appears ready to clamp down on a workday culinary staple – the food truck.
More than 100 licensed food trucks roam Sacramento every day, serving up tacos, burritos, noodles and ice cream. The trucks are fixtures at construction sites and outside government offices, anywhere hurried folk want a bite on the cheap.
But city officials say some vendors park for hours in quiet neighborhoods and attract loiterers, noise, litter and crime. The City Council is to vote today on an ordinance to limit where food trucks can open shop and for how long.
"We're not trying to stop these businesses; we're trying to make business attractive for everybody," Councilwoman Sandy Sheedy said.
Today's vote follows more than two years of heated debate over how best to regulate the trucks, which proprietors say cater to a growing market for quick eats in Sacramento. Owners argued that earlier city attempts unfairly singled them out and would have driven them out of business.
The proposed ordinance would generally forbid trucks from operating at night unless they are at least 400 feet from a residential area. It would also bar them from stopping for more than 30 minutes in one spot, whether on a roadside or an industrial parking lot. So every half-hour the trucks would have to find another spot at least 400 feet away.
The ordinance includes numerous exceptions and gives certain established vendors five years to adapt to the new rules.
"I think we have a good solution," said Brad Wasson, the city's revenue manager, recalling several tense meetings on the issue. "We tried to find something for everybody."
George Azar said he's fine with the compromise. His busy La Mex Taqueria on Northgate Boulevard is among those grandfathered. Still, Azar said the city should be encouraging culinary entrepreneurs – not fighting them.
He said he doesn't see why food trucks are regulated any differently than hot dog carts found on many downtown corners.
"We're here for the same reason: People want us. The only difference I see is maybe one's Mexican food, one's not," Azar said.
The 38-year-old serves an array of diners, from workers with short lunch breaks and – since he's open until 2 a.m. on weekends – Kings fans looking for a postgame snack.
"In a restaurant you sit down, you order a taco and they're going to bring you beans, rice and a salad on the side," Azar said. "Not everyone wants that. Some people just want their taco to go."
Exactly when a mobile vendor becomes a public nuisance isn't clear from the staff report accompanying the ordinance change.
"We don't have any data on it," said Sgt. Matt Young, a spokesman for the Sacramento Police Department, which played a supporting role in crafting the measure. Still, "you do occasionally have transients or people loitering who are intoxicated. They are going to gravitate toward getting some food. And oftentimes it is one of those vendors."
Azar disputed the accusation the trucks are a nuisance. Since he opened La Mex seven years ago, in the parking lot outside S P Liquor Market on Northgate Boulevard, Azar said, that store hasn't been robbed.
"We keep an eye on everything," he said.
Mobile vendors generally serve clean, quality food, although preparing food fast in a small space has led to problems with some, said Kelly McCoy, a supervisor in the county's inspection unit.
At Leaven & Earth, a gourmet sandwich truck in a parking lot on Ninth and G streets, Ron Carroll said he feels the city struck a middle ground. But he's concerned about what happens once the grandfather clause runs out. The rolling diner runs on thin margins, he said, which makes it tough to afford a bona fide restaurant.
So he'll keep folding vegetarian wraps – at least for now.
"What happens in five years?" he asked. "We don't know."
Call The Bee's Todd Milbourn, (916) 321-1063.
