Thursday has been declared Taco Truck Night by the founders of a Web site created in response to a new set of regulations for the mobile restaurants recently approved by the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors.
“To celebrate this year’s May Day we’re announcing Taco Truck Night … Go out, get some carne asada or al pastor and support your hard working taco vendor,” the Web site Saveourtacotrucks.org readers.
The Web site, founded by teachers Aaron Sonderleiter and Chris Rutherford, received national attention when it was mentioned by Time magazine Friday in an article on the dispute over the new county rules.
Earlier this month, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors passed an ordinance making it possible to punish lunch-truck drivers who park in one spot for more than an hour in an unincorporated area with either a citation or a misdemeanor, at the discretion of the District Attorney’s Office.
Citations will be punishable by fines starting at $100 for the first offense that increase in increments of $100 for each additional offense reported, to a maximum of $500, according to Gerry Hertzberg, an aide to Supervisor Gloria Molina.
If the District Attorney’s Office chooses instead to treat the offense as a misdemeanor, it will be punishable by a fine of up to $1,000 or six months in jail or both, he said.
Previously, county law had banned parking for more than 30 minutes, but only punished offenders with citations that were considered “the cost of doing business” by some, Hertzberg said.
The new regulations were approved unanimously, but have drawn criticism from taco truck drivers and their supporters.
More than 2,300 people have signed an online petition at Saveourtacotrucks.org, which has a posted goal of reaching 5,000 signatures by Thursday.
“We’re trying to create a better and more livable community,” Molina said.
“Taco trucks create a sense of community on the streets that enclosed, `brick-and-mortar” stores cannot,” according to a suggested letter to Molina posted on the site.