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| Food vendors, city move forward with new rules |
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| Written by John Saiz | Patterson Irrigator | |
| Friday, 20 June 2008 | |
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Mobile food vendors have a new set of rules to contend with following a unanimous vote Tuesday by the Patterson City Council.  A QUICK BITE: Mobile food vendors, like these at First and M streets, are subject to new rules and regulations. Photo by Elias Funez/Patterson Irrigator The changes have been in the making for close to a year. As city officials and staff drafted the rules, vendors said they felt left out of the process and were unfairly targeted. But by the time the council voted 5-0 to pass the rules, the nearly 20 people in the audience were satisfied. “My dream is to have a very good restaurant,” vendor Joel Lomeli told the council. “I hope I get support from you guys.” Councilman Sam Cuellar, who got the ball rolling on the new rules and voted in favor of the ordinance, said he was not completely satisfied. “My intention was not to remove people but to limit the number (of trucks on one site),” Cuellar said. “We haven’t been able to directly address (that) issue.” Cuellar first spoke up because of worries about six taco trucks set up at M and First streets. Vendors have denied that so many trucks ever operated there. Community development director Rod Simpson said allowing a specific number per lot would be difficult because of varying property sizes. A dozen people spoke Tuesday to show support for mobile food vendors. Many either operated food trucks at M and First streets or were affiliated with those vendors. When a draft of the rules went before the city planning commission last month, vendor representative Jose Daniel Virgen said he worried about a clause that would allow the city to deny a business license if police received too many 9-1-1 calls for activities at a vendor’s location. Virgen said that would leave business owners vulnerable to someone making false or mistaken emergency calls. It would also be unfair to apply the rule only to mobile food vendors and not other shops, he said. The planning commission voted to leave the section in, but by the time the document reached the City Council, it had been removed by city staff. Another rule officially allows ice cream trucks into residential areas. It had been technically illegal for vendors to venture into neighborhoods, though the rule was enforced only when someone complained. For those who open new taco trucks or move their operations elsewhere in town, additional costs are now in place. Vendors must get a conditional use permit for $1,140, in addition to a business license and mobile food vendor permit. Existing vendors have paid typically $40 for a business license and $250 for a vendor permit. License fees vary based on a vendor’s annual income. To reach John Saiz at the Irrigator, call 892-6187 or e-mail him at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
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