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C. Thi Nguyen, senior editor of Chow Digest at chowhound.com and a UCLA Grad Student opines in opposition to the County's move to put harsher regulations on Taco Trucks. It appeared in today's edition of the LA Times' The Guide:
... what the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors has done terrifies me. On Wednesday, the supervisors passed a harsh set of regulations for unincorporated county areas. Parking a taco truck in one spot for longer than an hour is now punishable by a fine of up to $1,000, or six months in jail, or both. Developers and restaurant owners, particularly in East L.A., are pushing for tougher enforcement too. These changes, say some truck owners, will probably put them out of business.This is a cultural disaster. Forget the Getty -- it's the taco trucks, and their crowds, that are the true culture of L.A. Attacking the trucks is like New York going after its hot dog stands or Memphis banning barbecue pits.
[...]
Los Angeles has always struck me as one of the most aesthetically democratic of cities. The beaches are public, half the museums are free and culinary glory is sold at every street corner for almost nothing. It's paradise for the impoverished food lover. So these new regulations don't just attack taco trucks, they hurt eaters, especially poor eaters. In a lot of places in town, it's the only meal you can get for three or four bucks. And in some places, it's a great meal for three or four bucks.
Last week, SaveOurTacoTrucks.org launched with the slogan, "Carne Asada is not a Crime." At the site, which was developed by York Blvd., taco lovers can take action by signing a petition and learning more about the situation.
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Theres a huge difference between the taco trucks of LA and the hot dog stands of NY.
I've only known tourists that actually go to those hot dog stands because they're terrible.
that does suck! and i bet if LA had a fancy shmancy dessert truck headed up by an esteemed pastry chef (see: http://www.desserttruck.com/), like they do in NY, there'd be no fuss whatsoever.
Restaurants pay THOUSANDS of dollars to keep a certain standard and code. If they fail they have to pay thousands more to bring it up to code.
These trucks have no such rules and they should actually be banned outright. I would not buy so much of a soda from one of these illegal operations.
The main problem I have with society both locally and national is the one set of rules for one people and one set of rules for another set of people. I will let you guess which set of rules is for whom.....
Tottenham's never eaten the al pastor from Taco Zone obviously.
Tottenham's also the guy who said he'd only go see a Dodger game when they banned Mexicans from attending. I think he's made it plain where he's coming from, and it doesn't really have much to do with culinary concerns.
This whole issue is unfortunately just a political bait and switch, pasting the sad face of the seemingly powerless small business owner onto the body of the massive developers who want to turn all of los angeles into main street disney, and don't want taco trucks outside of the 'Grove Boyle Heights' or whatever other crap they have planned.
Living in one such unincorporated part of the county, I grew up with a taco truck within a block's distance at all times. Sure, there were local restaurants that I would bypass to get to the taco truck, but that was because those restaurants sucked! I am fortunate enough to still live within a few blocks of several taco trucks and it's good to have them as an option. It's really good to have them as one of the few food options at 2 or 3 am!
I do not want to imagine a Los Angeles without taco trucks. That would make me and Baby Jesus cry (he's a big fan of the lengua tacos and sesos burrito).
I too have to pee on Tottenham for such close-minded thinking.