LA county officials recently passed a law banning taco trucks from parking in the same spot for more than one hour. While LA county already has a law against parking taco trucks in the same spot for more than 30 minutes, with citations for violators. Photo credit - LATaco.com

The new law, however, carries a misdemanour charge, with fines of upto $1000 or six months in jail for violations. The taco ordinance, it seems, has stirred up a hornet’s nest. Big time. Not since the the Rodney King affair in 1991 has there such a public outpouring of support against LA’s state machinery. Everybody and their crazy taco loving aunt in East L.A. are now piling on against the law, making it pretty clear that no-one, except some taco hating weidros in the state bureaucracy, want the taco trucks to move on.

Here’s a sampling of the latest articles from both the MSM and LA’s foodie bloggers, all outraged by this attack on their favorite pastime - cheap, inexpensive curbside tacos and quesadillas. Jennifer Steinhauer, New York Times, sums up the grief that Los Angeles county officials are catching, and explains why the taco war has managed to bridge cultural, class and racial divides.

Nearly 5,000 people have signed an online petition opposing the new law at saveourtacotrucks.org, where “carne asada is not a crime.” Enraged taco cart proprietors are defiant; some have hired lawyers. On Thursday, people flocked to taco trucks in support. “Taco trucks are iconic here,” said Aaron Sonderleiter, a teacher from the Highland Park neighborhood of Los Angeles and one of the petition founders. “You go to one and you see black, people, white people, old people, young people. They really capture a microcosm of L.A.”  - In Taco Truck Battle, Mild Angelenos Turn Hot, Jennifer Steinhauer, New York Times, May 3, 2008

For the record, the number of people signing on to the online petition at www.saveourtacotrucks.org has gone up to 6000. Ben Bergman, NPR, talks to a group of taco truck owners and their lawyer, who explain what’s going to happen come May 15th, when the law goes into effect - Basically nothing. Its going to be business as usual for the taco peddling outlaws.

As a line of customers waited for 90-cent tacos and $3.25 quesadillas, Torres notes that he pays taxes and has a business license. He says he also pays rent — $700 a month — to the business that shares the curb. Torres isn’t willing to ignore the threat to his livelihood. He says he has helped mobilize about 150 taco truck owners into a sort of “taco resistance.” When the law goes into effect May 15, they vow to stay parked — right where they are. - Taco Truck Battle Heats Up In Los Angeles, Ben Bergman, NPR, May 5th 2008

Eric Stone blogs about the ‘Taco Night’ protest organized by www.saveourtacotrucks.org at La Estrella on York. It was, being an increasingly gentrifying neighborhood, and home to the organizers of the event, the only taco truck at which we saw any sort of large crowd of hipsters and foodies. And Spanish language news radio and TV reporters as well, of course. It was a fun scene, good to see that at least some people had come out for the event. Photo courtesy & copyrights - Eric Stone

Zach Behrens, LAist.com, meets up with Aaron Sonderleiter and Chris Rutherford, the taco revolutionaries who organized the protest, and provides a yummy and graphic guide to Los Angeles taco truck food. And if you’re interested in going on an LA taco truck tour, www.yumtacos.com has a google map pinpointing the locations of the trucks. For the record, LA has about 14,000 licensed taco trucks.

Posted on May 6th, 2008 by PLing
Filed under: Los Angeles