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Another 5700 Wilshire Food Truck Video Surfaces, This Time it's Political [Updated]
Yesterday, a video showed that things on the 5700 block of Wilshire Boulevard were getting ugly, or at least in one instance where a Museum Square employee lashed violently out at a pro-food truck office worker (for background on the issue, read this story). Now, posted under the same anonymous YouTube account, comes this video that shows LaBonge with Museum Square management.
The photos in the video were taken last week and LaBonge confirmed his visit to LAist. "Over the Council recess, I spent several days walking and riding my bike through the district talking to people about issues that are of concern," he said.
Carolyn Ramsay, a staffer who accompanied him said LaBonge visited other property owners, tenants and food truck customers as well. "He asked them all a lot of questions and said he is proposing food truck zones, or a medallion system for food trucks with the proper permitting," she explained. "The food truck zones would be on the side streets off the main thoroughfares. That is why he's at the end of the building pointing over the side. As you know, Tom is concerned about public safety issues when oversized trucks line up along major streets. They reduce the visibility for pedestrians and drivers. He is pointing to those, too."
LaBonge said he met with the leaders of the Asociación de Loncheros L.A. Familia Unida de California and the Southern California Mobile Food Vendors Assoication, along with city officials, last Thursday to talk about a feasible system for permitting the food trucks and keeping the areas safe for everyone. "It was a very productive meeting. I feel as though we're close to creating a system that works," he said. "Good government takes time. It requires a lot of productive open dialogue. That's exactly what we're doing."
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[Update, 2:52 p.m: Ramsay said they are responding to the cars blocking food trucks from parking on Wilshire the same way they responded to food trucks that violated parking laws -- by sending parking enforcement out all the time. And that's true, some of these cars are racking up parking tickets like no other.]
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