Should L.A. ban food trucks from parking on city streets? Tell us what you think.

A Los Angeles City councilman intensified debate in the city over food trucks last Friday by introducing two motions that could lead to the trucks being banned on city streets.

One proposal from Councilman Tom LaBonge asks city staff to study what other cities have done and to look into prohibiting trucks from parking at metered spaces in commercially zoned areas. The other calls for a report on the creation of specially designated catering-truck parking zones.

Food truck owners and patrons -- famous for their fervor and their mastery of social media sites such as Twitter -- have mounted a campaign against the proposals and the councilman himself.

Someone has set up a Facebook page called "Los Angelinos Against Labonge." An online petition "against any city bill that would limit access to the food trucks" had racked up 2,000 digital signatures in just three days. Food truck supporters accosted LaBonge during his community bicycle ride Wednesday evening to complain about his proposals. On Twitter, where the controversy became a major local topic Wednesday, one post urged food truck supporters to attend the ride to tell LaBonge "you don't approve of his hatred of food trucks!"

The Times' Kate Linthicum reports on the growing food truck fight. What do you think? Share your opinions below.

Photo: Councilman Tom LaBonge, right, speaks with Dan Nathan about LaBonge's proposal to limit food trucks on Wilshire Boulevard. "Everybody in the building loves having the food trucks," said Nathan, who works nearby. Credit: John W. Adkisson / Los Angeles Times

Comments

[SpanishBombs]

The food trucks have become a part of the LA culture.
Kogi changed everything.

Cant change the rules because certain restaurants are complaining.

[Rebecca Moses]

They should be banned or have a designed place to park. It is unfair to the merchants who have to pay heavy to have a business.
They could be TAXED out like every other business nowadays.

[Herbert]

First they should round up the push cart vendors. In Chino Hills they use shopping carts and sell home made unknowns from trash bags and hang around the elementary schools. Push cart vendors urinating on lawns and then handling unknown food items and particularly targeting uneducated and children is particularly offensive. Food trucks are always foul--ban them next or relegate them to industrial parks where they've been encouraged.

[Nicholas Lanier]

My opinion is let them park where they want for now and take another look at it in a year or so. Right now these food trucks are a great little cottage (truck) industry for quite a few people and they are doing incredibly well. The last thing we need to do is put up obstacles for these small businesses that are actually making money in this amazingly not-great economy.

And hey! The food is really good on these things and it's fun to go around town and find them.

[Chuck]

Those trucks are a blight on the community. They carry the potential for mass diseease dispersal and are usually filthy and unkept in kine with health and safety standards. Generally they are driven and staffed by illegals with no ties to the community and who will head out of town rather than face questions in the event of a mass food poisoning I want to see these rolling disease wagons disappear altogether.

[TBONE]

Any chance this guys wife or brother owns a restaurant?

[John]

Absolutely not. Do politicians have nothing better to do than to sit around banning stuff?

[rik]

Labonge don't be a jerk. Local politicians are probably wondering, "where's my cut?" Support creative and diverse business minds, don't hamper them!!!

[Bobby]

I see trash for the trucks all day and night it brings animals out.There make a profit off the streets but never clean or care for the suroundings area.They must go.

[Gabriel Manriquez]

I disagree with LaBonge. Food trucks are part of LA culture.

[kgoddess]

Oh, for heavens sake, leave the food trucks alone. They are providing jobs/income to people as well as providing a valuable service to the community, namely inexpensive, good food.

[Pat]

If a slew of trucks are taking up valuable street parking in a given area, propose limits. Make sure they have all the proper operating and health permits too.

Doesn't LaBonge have something better to do? The restaurant owners must be lining his pockets to take action.

[mullingitover]

This reeks to high heaven of political corruption. The food trucks are very competitive and they don't have a lot of the overhead that the restaurants do, so the restaurants are pressuring (bribing?) the city council to erect some barriers to business so they don't have to compete on a level playing field. It's shameful. We're experiencing a renaissance in food trucks, and to jump in and try to shut it all down to protect entrenched business who have failed to innovate is just wrong.

[mae victoria]

So long as they pick up the trash, people should have the right to sell food with the proper permits. The trucks make me so happy and now they will no longer be around. This ban is yet another sign that our liberties are being stripped away. Now I am going out of my way to eat from these trucks.

[mae victoria]

So long as they pick up the trash, people should have the right to sell food with the proper permits. The trucks make me so happy and now they will no longer be around. This ban is yet another sign that our liberties are being stripped away. Now I am going out of my way to eat from these trucks.

[grandma cranky pants]

I love the food trucks. I live in a community that is not only peppered with them, but also celebrates the numerous ice cream trucks. The food trucks are part of our Second Saturday art crawl. The are regular at some of our popular watering holes. They provide some wonderful eats.

I think there is a compromise to be reached. The trucks we visit all provide their own trash bins for the paper/plastic used to consume the eats. They haul off their trash.

They don't bother us. We don't care where they park. We know L.A. possesses often, crowded streets, limited parking, gangs, traffic, and bitchy cranky people who perceive themselves more important than others. There's room for all.

In my community we like them and welcome them. They are a part of our culture, L.A. culture (white, brown, black, yellow, red, paisley culture). Street food is accepted globally. I find that most people who whine and moan about this are only looking at this issue from their own egocentric perspective —or from a position of no experience.

[Brad]

They are vending from city property and need to pay rent to the city. The city should approve a limited number of permits and allow vendors to bid on the permits.

[jonny]

I think they should be banned from illegally parking etc.

In santa monica, they are really popular during lunch time but most of the food is over priced etc. and they take business away from local restaurants. Why should they be above the laws, where as I would get a nice $50 ticket for parking illegally in santa monica.

[Steve Fisher]

Food trucks seem pretty simple, but there are many reasons to ban them.

First, what gives them the right to park anywhere and sell food while others pay money for a brick and mortar establishment.

Second, they evade paying taxes, paying workers, in the case of foodborne illness how to you trace down and test a truck?

They are also road hazards, with popular ones blocking traffic and attracting crowds of people in areas not designed to handle such crowds.

[Angela Farrow]

I think it's outrageous that LaBonge would try to prohibit these food trucks that have become a welcome change to the dining scene in Los Angeles. Who is paying him to oppose these food trucks? Is it the restaurants who don't want to face any competition? Give me a break...LaBonge find something else to do with your time and leave these hard working people alone!

[Glassell Man]

I work at 5700 Wilshire Boulevard and I do frequent the trucks from time to time. I find them to be exciting and interesting to explore the different foods they offer.
They have a good price point and appear to be clean and the food seems fresh.
This is capitalism at it's best, if there was no need for the food trucks they would stop coming as no one would be buying from them.
Why stop them? They provide a service and they do it well.

[Leo Hagen]

Yes!
One on corner of Vermont & Beverly parks most every day. Even covers the parking meter w/plastic bag. This has been for years. Seems a good way to not pay the property tax that fixed locations pay.
Between 3rd & Western, each and every day you see the same ones! Some are Wide. Buses & trucks have to go into the left lane to get around. They park on side streets when not open. I have looked in on some when jogging by, some are gross inside! They do not seem to have to have health ratings.

[Elise]

I love the taco trucks, plus, they can bring more business to local businesses by bringing in customers. I know I've gone to a local business to buy something after I've had my fill of a couple of delicious carne asada tacos. mmmmmm Taco Zone rocks!

[GermaicanSpice]

I work downtown L.A. in one of the high rise buildings, and I LOVE having the lunch trucks around! They have good, inexpensive food that's usually delicious and pretty authentic. They also add "flavor" and "character" to the streets of L.A. I think they're a great asset and should not be banned from our streets. Whoever doesn't like them, doesn't have to eat there. However most people I work with enjoy going downstairs and getting a bite to eat from them because it's so convenient. It would be a great loss to our city if they would no longer be allowed to park on our streets.

[Jackie]

Personally I love eating out of the "quick stop trucks" it beats going to mc Donald’s or Carls Jr . Its unique, its boring sitting down at a restaurant everyday why not change it up and eat standing up, after all with all our "busy schedules" its a quick stop and to think about it you walk to the truck (exercise) eat and walk back where you came from (exercise) isn’t our country known for obesity? Well we can fix that somewhat by exercising and eating. Don’t Band the Trucks!