One year ago, Congress defunded public media. Now that we're 100% community funded, please become a sustaining member or increase your existing membership today.
This is an archival story that predates current editorial management.
This archival content was written, edited, and published prior to LAist's acquisition by its current owner, Southern California Public Radio ("SCPR"). Content, such as language choice and subject matter, in archival articles therefore may not align with SCPR's current editorial standards. To learn more about those standards and why we make this distinction, please click here.
South Pasadena Says Food Trucks 'cannibalize' Restaurant Business
Photo by howard-f via the LAist Featured Photos pool on Flickr
Here we are in late 2012, and not only are contemporary food trucks still a popular trend, but cities are still trying to kick them to the curb. One of the municipalities to voice a wish to put the brakes on the biz is South Pasadena, where business owners say they're a threat to brick-and-mortar restaurants.But South Pas doesn't want food trucks gone completely; they seem to want their cake and to be able to eat it too: In a recent piece in the Pasadena Sun, South Pasadena Chamber of Commerce President Scott Feldmann said:
“We would like to have food trucks in South Pasadena for special events. But we want to discourage food trucks from cannibalizing sales from our brick-and-mortar restaurants.”
There's some confusion about the law when it comes to food truck sales in South Pas:
A city law prohibits parking along any roadway “for the principal purpose of selling therefrom.” But the California Vehicle Code allows sales from a parked vehicle, as long as the vehicle complies with parking rules.
That law, however, has some opposition from food truck advocates. "On Aug. 30, an organization representing food trucks, the SoCal Mobile Food Vendors Assn., filed a lawsuit against the city," notes the Sun. Lawyers for the SCMVA call the law "invalid" and are looking for it to be repealed.
Last November, South Pasadena was grappling with their local laws and those of the state, and had to revise their to be in line with California. As South Pasadena Patch noted: "Pursuant to California Vehicle Code, the Fourth District Court of Appeal held that cities can only regulate food trucks according to public health. They cannot completely ban them." Public health, however, is the domain of L.A. County.
South Pasadena merchants are still hoping to come up with something on the books that curbs the trucks from parking outside their businesses and potentially stealing customers.
One year ago, Congress voted to defund public media, eliminating a critical $1.7 million from our budget every year going forward. But they couldn’t silence us, and we’re not going anywhere. LAist is now 100% community funded and that means we’re taking our future into our own hands and turning to you to keep local reporting strong.
You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our nonprofit newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our communities. We are free to follow facts wherever they lead and to hold power to account without fear or favor. Our only loyalty is to our readers and listeners and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen Southern California’s communities.
If this story helped you, please become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.
You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our nonprofit newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our communities. We are free to follow facts wherever they lead and to hold power to account without fear or favor. Our only loyalty is to our readers and listeners and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen Southern California’s communities.
If this story helped you, please become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.
Senior Vice President News, Editor in Chief
