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Yesterday on Wilshire, Police on the right | iPhone photo by Koga/LAist
For the past few months now, a handful--sometimes six--mobile foods trucks like Kogi BBQ have lined Mid-Wilshire attracting lunch goers who desired for much more than the nearby permanent restaurants. Mike at Franklin Avenue opined on the issue over a year ago:
The portion of Mid-Wilshire home to Variety, E! and others has long been a vast wasteland of lunchtime eateries. Bored of Koo Koo Roo, Baja Fresh and Johnnie's -- and grossed out by Marie Callenders (and turned off by Organic to Go's overpriced entrees), we cheer any new addition to the lineup across the street.
Considering the growing popularity of the lunch time spot for food trucks--yesterday Kogi BBQ, King Kone, Barbie's Q and Baby's Badass Burgers were seen--the LAPD yesterday reportedly began citing for every little issue, says a LosAnjealous tipster:
Anti-lunch truck task force action here. The cops formed one due to complaints at our museum square route, and cracked down today, throwing down fines and citing for trucks parking too close to the curb, trucks parking too far from the curb, trucks beeping whey they back up, trucks not being equipped with beepers when they back up, trucks protruding into red zones, trucks serving up sub-par food (joke) and god only knows what else.
Commenters seem to indicate that a local, but unpopular restaurant has been bugging the city because business has gone down. Is this going to bring another Carne Asada is not a Crime debate to city hall?
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How can you be fined for parking "too close to the curb?" and if the truck is rigged to beep when backing up, a Federal mandate if I'm not mistaken, how can they be fined for that?
Maybe the cops should be working for the public instead of taking on competitors to (a failing) business.
I completely think this is garbage! I cannot believe the city is going to crack down on something so minimal as Food Trucks. I mean who's idea was to go after these hard working people and cite them for the dumbest shit. I really don't think this is necessary and they ought to just leave them alone!
If they're parking in the red, or too far from the curb, or are unsanitary with their food, I say fine the hell out of them. If not, leave them alone. Picking on them because the local businesses are inadequate is just wrong.
Somebody tell the cops to go eat at Toshi's and they'll have all the compassion in the world for those poor folks on museum row after doing so.
Also a word to Toshi's; even if you succeed in getting all the trucks out of your area it won't help your business. Awful food is awful food and giving people food poisoning doesn't fair well either.
There are far more heinous crimes happening that the cops should be addressing and not this.
I say we keep calling Toshi's and complain and bug them. I tried looking for a number on the internet but the only Toshi I found was Toshi's Lobby Shop in the same building. Maybe related? Not sure. But you can try: (323) 904-4790
I'm pretty sure the LAPD has better things they could be doing.
Today's Update: Only the original food truck (that's made Museum Square a regular stop for years) and Bool BBQ are here. There was an LAPD squad car parked across the street, but the officers weren't ticketing the trucks, so they were probably just dining at one of the restaurants: http://www.twitpic.com/emcim
Also got confirmation from one of the trucks that at least one person from Toshi's walked up to them recently and asked them not to show up anymore.
Toshi's needs to understand that it's not the trucks that are hurting their business. It's their abusively awful food. It is one of the worst dumps I've ever encountered. I would rather have AIDS than eat at Toshi's ever again.
I work at 5700 Wilshire and I was really enjoying some decent grub. The places across the street in the Museum Square building are overpriced and some are just plain crappy. One can only imagine who called the cops. Johnny's Pizza is owned by a conglomerate and they owned the other Asian Fusion place that crashed and burned a while back, so who knows what is going on. In any case bring back the trucks.
It's an easy fundraiser for the city! Big trend with the roach coaches around LA. Fine them for laws they may not be aware of. I'm sure over time as they become more law savvy, the city won't be able to ticket them as easily. Otherwise if any of the lunch truck owners are reading... come park near Kaiser in West LA. Hardly anything to eat around there! Wouldn't complain if these lunch trucks were around.
I agree LAPD has better things to do, but I have called the Health Dept. on both the Trucks(Don't know if I would call it decent grub?) and Toshi's(Definitely needs to go away!) as I have been ill from eating both their respective fares. I also hve to admit the trucks annoy me being parked where they are at, if they are so popular why don't they mark out a parking area in the back of the buildings or near the delivery docks?(When not in use.)
How in the world can the trucks annoy you with where they park? Who cares where they park unless you're the owner of a horrible Asian fusion restaurant?
Can we get some lunch trucks up in the valley?