DEVELOPING: LAPD Officially Tasked With Throwing All Manner of Fines Under the Sun At Your Favorite Food Truck
File under hearsay text messages: The following phone-to-phone transcript comes direct from our good buddy Bobby over at Green Truck On The Go (screw twitter, too much noise; tweet away but old-fashioned txtmsgs still own me end of day and he knows it). Verbatim txtscript:
FROM: Bob N/A
TO: Losanjealous Ryan’s Wireless Device
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. Word is that they also dished out $5000 fines – we hadn’t opened yet and avoided that bit, at least. (no citation for “failing to open in a timely fashion”?? -ed) Their stated purpose is to clear wilshire of lunch trucks.FROM:Ryan’s Wireless Device
TO: Bob N/A
Wilsh and where??FROM: Bob N/A
TO: Ryan’s Wireless Device
5750 Wilshire – between Curson and Masselin. Toshi’s Asian Food keeps calling the cops. 10-15 squad cars per day for the next week or two, task force to ticket trucks for anything and everything until they leave.FROM: Ryan’s Wireless Device
TO: Bob N/A
Can I quote you on this?FROM: Bob N/A
TO: Ryan’s Wireless Device
I was thinking about making a report from the front lines. The Baby’s Bad Ass Burger truck was there. I think Marked 5 was there. Kogi was there. Been emailing those guys and Luncheros (Emma) about this. You can quote me – but make sure it’s hilarious and not whiney. Well, adjust.FROM: Ryan’s Wireless Device
TO: Bob N/A
Done. Give us a follow-up post.FROM: Bob N/A
TO: Ryan’s Wireless Device
Yep. There may be joint kogi-green truck youtube videos. I’ve been emailing them and trying to get this started for a while and now they are talking about contacting all the trucks and joining forces. I’m all for it, but wasn’t trying to put the green truck or kogi brand on it.FROM: Ryan’s Wireless Device
TO: Bob N/A
Ima blog all this shit. Later, typing.FROM: Bob N/A
TO: Ryan’s Wireless Device
Mobile food movement < Mobile food revolution
If all of the above is true, and it sounds as if it is, expect more coverage to follow on your preferred medium any time now. I have a gigantic email thread from Bob as well. Time permitting I’ll try to decipher this thing and get it out there. Meantime: Anybody with additional information or insight, please do feel free to speak up.
Green truck photo by jojomelons
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The best tasting food should win.
I understand the “laws” and such but thats how its always been.
I liked the energy the trucks created on 5700 Wilshire. It had
a nice city vibe to it.
Hope the trucks can come back so hard working hungry people
can get a decent lunch while enjoying the outdoors.
The MM area actually has tons of options that are walkable. Dont know why people are complaining saying theres limited options.
Ive never worked in an area in LA that was walkable until the MM.
If someone works in the same area long enough, everything becomes old hat.
So, what do we need to do to save lunch? I don’t want Bool or Green Truck to disappear.
Boooooo!!!! I’ve lived in this district for 10 years and the food in the area has totally sucked – UNTIL the trucks showed up!
I want the TRUCKS!! This has been a rare, fun moment in food history!! Bring Back the TRUCKS!!!
LAMC 80.73b2f (Time limit parking of catering trucks on the streets of Los Angeles) was considered by Superior Court Commissioner Barry D. Kohn on June 10, 2009. He dismissed the citation against the driver of the truck on the grounds that the ordinance was not in conformity with the California Vehicle Code. He held that the time limits were not rationally related to “public safety” as required by applicable Vehicle Code Sections. The “one day” sweep of catering trucks along Wilshire Blvd. appears to have been applied in a discriminatory manner since all vehicles parked along that street were not treated similarly. California Appellate Court Decisions do not permit discriminatory enforcement.
This Just In! File under More Hearsay Txtmsg Action: LAT reporter Ann Simmons has been talking to Bob (of above Green Truck fame) as well as the LAPD today. Txtscript from Bob:
Take it to the tweets people! (Haha sorry bad pun.) But seriously, there are more of us then there are of them. :D
SERIOUSLY!? Toshi’s is DISGUSTING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Those of us who work here and depend on Museum Square options for food are so grateful to have the trucks . . . we’ll do what it takes to keep them here! I’d rather not eat than eat at Toshi’s. Grosh.
[…] India Jones Chow Truck suffered a fate no lonchera would wish on another Wednesday prior at 5750 Wilshire Food Truck Takedown ‘09: Impound! Unsatisfied with simply slapping all manner of tickets and fines onto and into the truck […]
I agree with MiracleMilean. A petition would help get the message across.
Toshi’s calling the cops on the trucks really sucks. Someone should give Toshi’s a citation for bad food because their rice is always dried out, the fish tastes REALLY fishy (i.e. it’s old), and the chicken tastes weird most of the time. I’ve given them enough chances to prove to me it wasn’t just a bad day.
It looks like 5750 Wilshire Blvd might be just outside of The Greater Wilshire Neighborhood Council’s jurisdiction. Therefore, I sent an email to the general contact of LA Council District 4 asking for clarification if 5750 Wilshire Blvd falls within District 4 (I think you’re right, MiracleMilean). The next route may be a petition and pleading our case at a Council Meeting.
Here’s something interesting. According to an LA Times article on 6/11/2009, LA County Superior Court Commissioner Barry D. Kohn ruled that the city of LA had overstepped its legal authority in imposing restrictions on catering trucks. Catering trucks are regulated by the STATE. It looks like local city governments have additional authority to enforce some laws if the catering trucks are creating safety issues, but I’m not convinced the ones that park near 5750 Wilshire Blvd are posing a safety issue.
http://articles.latimes.com/2009/jun/11/local/me-tacotrucks11
What do you think?
File a complaint with 3-1-1 (direct access to city services). They told me that if a local business (Toshi’s) complains often enough and loud enough, the police will be forced to come out and support the local business owners, even if their food is sh*t!
So what happens if all the local lunch truck enthusiasts called more often and louder than Toshi’s?
Maybe if Toshi’s made some real sushi some of us might actually go there. Paying $15 for a stir fry and a drink is ridiculous.
I am going to have to talk to some of the boys about this task force crap. City is just tryin to find another way to make money. We all know the trucks will not be here forever, but a break from the norm here is nice.
Back off and let em be.
Toshi’s, you dug your own grave here – no nobody from here will go there.
Im really bummed to hear about indiajones. that was DELICIOUS.
I agree that there are worse criminals to go after than these fancy brand new food trucks that the MAJORITY of us actually love.
Toshi’s sucks.. overpricedtogo sucks too.
Toshi’s or samari Sams or what ever you call it blows. No one was going there any way. F that place. I’ve seen the cops quite a few times but always thought they were letting the trucks slide. Geez don’t they have any thing better to do?
@Daniele,
I think we need to start a petition and send it to our councilman (I thought it was Tom LaBonge). Talking to the cops isn’t going to make a difference.
We gotta find a way to keep these trucks here. Or at least on the sidestreets. I can’t stomach another KooKooEww lunch
There was only 1 truck out there today – Bool – tho the regular roach coach showed up later in the lunch hour.
As someone who has worked on this block for over 9 years and is sick to death of the limited food options, I love having the trucks come here.
So I’m spreading the word among my colleagues and will boycott whichever restaurants are involved in pushing the trucks out, even if it means bringing my lunch to work.
I have seen the police presence over the last week or so and didn’t give it much thought when they were just asking for permits. But I think a phone call to the LAPD is warranted (and perhaps the city council. Heck, I have Carmen Trutanich’s direct phone number…). Frankly, I don’t want my tax dollars going toward harassment of someone who is finally giving me new food options – save it for the real criminals. If they don’t have permits, fine, cite them. If they are parked somewhere other than a meter, fine, ticket them. But if they are substantially in compliance (i.e. an inch too close/far), leave them the fahq alone.
You guys should come down to Torrance. I have a huge street that can accommodate all of your trucks!
@NoSmellBob: In Portland they don’t use abandoned strip malls, they use their parking lots at night after the businesses are closed. There are some areas in LA to use. For example, mom and pop gas stations and oil lube shops that close in the evenings. Or places like a Best Buy parking lot. During lunch time it’s a bit more difficult, but not impossible. Lots of office buildings don’t use all of their parking structures, so why not designate the top floor of the lot for the trucks between 11am – 3pm and charge a reasonable monthly fee for the privilege?
@Marino: I was just in Portland a few weeks ago. There’s actually more like 10 different areas with food trucks. In downtown alone there are two lots reserved specifically for trucks. In the Hawthorne district they have a couple parking lots too. And I’ve seen others in other parts of town.
The point is that there are ways to legitimize the food trucks and not piss off local restaurants. If the LA city council bothered to think creatively they could get it done.
That is, they impounded the India Jones truck for 30 days. Normally, temp tags are enough.
I love the taco trucks and I eat their food at least 3 times a week, esp late nights. But I feel bad for the restaurants too. They have to jump through a zillion buraucrautic hoops to open up. Building dept permits, health dept permits, sidewalk permits, neighborhood restrictions, parking restrictions and exorbitant rents.
And then has anyone ever gotten a receipt from a food truck? Do they ever pay sales tax?
I don’t think food trucks should be within a certain distance of restaurants and the city should chill out and make it easier for brick and mortar restaurants to open and operate.
PS: In Portland there is only ONE place with food trucks. But they allow restaurants/bars to be open till very late even in residential areas throughout the city. And no parking/valet is required.
I can’t think of many areas that have both abandoned strip malls and pedestrian traffic in LA. Plus, this is more of a lunch time issue. I agree that the police should feel free to enforce the law, and cite violators.. but I think forming a task force with the stated purpose “to cite every thing possible, impose the maximum penalties, and prevent trucks from coming to Museum Square” is a little extreme. As they hooked up the India Jones truck (for having temporary tags and paperwork showing his official tags are pending in the 90 day period it takes to get them) the police explained to him that any lunch truck is illegal in LA county, and perhaps he would be welcome in Beverly Hills. Hey, at least they didn’t drop him off in skid row afterwards.
I love the taco trucks and I eat their food at least 3 times a week, esp late nights. But I feel bad for the restaurants too. They have to jump through a zillion buraucrautic hoops to open up. Building dept permits, health dept permits, sidewalk permits, neighborhood restrictions, parking restrictions and exorbitant rents.
And then has anyone ever gotten a receipt from a food truck? Do they ever pay sales tax?
I don’t think food trucks should be within a certain distance of restaurants and the city should chill out and make it easier for brick and mortar restaurants to open and operate.
Why can’t LA just get their act together like Portland? In Portland they use vacant lots and strip mall parking lots (after business hours) as designated food truck areas. It’s super convenient because of the concentration of variety in each area and they are spread throughout the city. These people are just trying to make a living like the rest of us, so let’s give them a framework in which they can operate without making them feel like criminals
Toshi’s is great they have this big pink truck outside where you can order the cougar burger (aged cheddar) from total babes. They also have a couple of other trucks I haven’t tried yet, but based on the first one, can’t wait to visit the joint and try agian. 5stars for Toshi’s!!!
Lots of them should be cited. They shouldn’t be taking up street parking anyhow.
Cite them all. This food truck thing has gotten out of hand.
This is total BS. We love the variety, we love having some real food around, the old spots that are hear are so damn tired!!! We need to do something to let the cops know that we want them here. Petition?
Toshi complaing? They don’t serve food, they serve Nausea with MSG on the side.. yuck
they should fine toshis for serving shit food.
The building at 5750 Wilshire should allow for all the food trucks to park in the culdesac in the back of their main driveway. That would clear this entire mess up.
I work right by there and have been to Toshi’s. It’s quite possibly the worst food in all of LA – no – on the face of the planet.
I’m not surprised they would be butt-hurt about these trucks offering finer food then they serve up. After all, the only way a place like Toshi’s can survive is if there is little or no comptetition. We should boycott Toshis for the police calls and more importantly because their food sucks.
Yup, they were out in full force, especially dogging India Jones. We saw them in front of 5670 Wilshire and then, about an hour and a half later, over on 8th & La Brea, seemingly really cracking down on the poor guy.
There was Calbi, Kogi, Barbie’s Q, KingKone, that new Pink Burger Chick truck all in a two block radius. The local bricks & mortar shops are all in an uproar because the trucks make the stretch a regular haunt. Shame. I like getting food from them a..
i believe the $5000 fine was more stepping on the cracks of the sidewalk when exiting a mobile food truck. It’s an old law on the books.
what jack asses.
If the complaining restaurant is “Toshi’s Fresh Asian”, I notice that they have mostly one-star reviews on Yelp complaining about how nasty their food is.
No wonder they feel threatened by people who can make better food in a truck than they can with a full kitchen!
Here’s a bit of that promised email, offering more details as to the LAPD’s alleged mission-to-deter-all-food-trucks:
We are totally going to boycott Toshi’s Asian Food if this is true.. please keep us posted..
5750 workers here.. we love the food trucks!