The city of Hawthorne may soon make allowances for gourmet food trucks to do business with less restrictions than those imposed on route trucks often labeled “roach coaches.”

The City Council will consider adopting an ordinance tonight that will permit gourmet food trucks to gather for hours in one location, provided they first obtain a business license and city permit.

The Municipal Code currently allows food trucks to park only for a maximum of 30 minutes at work sites. Proposed changes would require truck gatherings in private parking lots to comply with several rules to ensure that they don’t become a nuisance.

“There’s a limit at the outset – one truck for 30 parking spaces,” City Attorney Russ Miyahira said of the proposed ordinance. “They need to show an agreement with the property owners and agreement with a nearby business that patrons can use the restroom.”

Trash receptacles also would have to be provided and public safety issues addressed, Miyahira said.

The City Council first discussed changing the rules for certain food trucks last month, when residents complained that the city shut down a weekly gathering of the trucks in the Best Buy parking lot near the Rosecrans Avenue exit of the San Diego (405) Freeway. The city received a flurry of criticism on Twitter and Facebook social media websites – where fans of the gourmet food trucks follow their activities – for telling them to leave town in June.

One food truck fan posted on a Twitter page devoted to promoting a gathering of trucks in Hawthorne that they were “the best thing to happen in Hawthorne since The Beach Boys.”

Another person wrote, in response to the city’s initial refusal of the trucks: “On behalf of my fellow Hawthorne residents, we love you and disagree with the city. We’ll follow you wherever you go!”

Someone else wrote: “Why did Hawthorne ban food trucks?! That’s it, I’m moving!!!”

Several residents and food truck operators attended the July 12 City Council meeting to ask the panel to change the Municipal Code to make way for the recent trend in gourmet food trucks.

Some council members said they would support the truck gatherings but Mayor Larry Guidi expressed concern that it could hurt business at established restaurants. The council ultimately decided to allow the trucks as long as they comply with certain regulations.

Traditionally, catering trucks have followed routes that make daily stops at work sites and office buildings during meal times to offer a variety of menu items. These route trucks are often called taco trucks or roach coaches.

The trend of providing a limited menu of high quality, specially prepared meals began to take hold locally about three years ago when the Korean food truck Kogi BBQ began to amass followers through online media, said John Bowler, general manager of Barbie’s Q food truck.

“When I first got out, nobody knew what to make of a truck that wasn’t a classic route truck or taco truck. People were trying to adapt to that idea,” Bowler said.

Recently, business has been booming as Bowler and other gourmet food truck operators travel Los Angeles County to serve hoards of people. On Monday, Bowler served 150 people working on the television show “The Closer” at Raleigh Studios in Hollywood.

Bowler’s truck serves southern-style, slow-smoked barbecue meals. Other gourmet food trucks specialize in grilled cheese sandwiches, sushi, Belgian waffles, nachos, Salvadoran pupusas, snow cones, steak and more.

“A lot of people who normally go out to lunch are tired of Subway or other staples they have been utilizing for years,” Bowler said. “It offers a variety of choices and it’s all high quality food. Someone might get a pulled pork sandwich at my truck, french fries at another and dessert at another.”

Bowler said he hasn’t been to Hawthorne since he was told to leave in June. But he would gladly return if the city changes its rules.

“There is a real synergy when you put several trucks together,” he said. “It ensures there’s something for everybody to eat. It was becoming a real social gathering spot.”

sandy.mazza@dailybreeze.com

Want to go?

What: City Council discussion of an ordinance that would allow gatherings of food trucks

Where: City Hall, 4455 W. 126th St.

When: 6 tonight

Information: 310-349-2915

http://www.dailybreeze.com/news/ci_18641376

Loyal food truck patrons in Hawthorne used social media to voice their opinions and increase attention to the world of mobile dining, prompting city councilmembers to reevaluate previous policies.

City councilmembers are reexamining food truck policies that could require vendors to purchase special event permits.

The Hawthorne City Council is revisiting a crackdown on food truck events in local parking lots after loyal foodies used social media to voice their opinions.

“Social media played a huge role,” said Glenn DeBaca, food truck event organizer. “I took it immediately to Facebook and Twitter, then I invited those people to join me at the city council meeting (in late June).”

DeBaca, along with 20 food truck followers, used that platform to join forces with city councilmembers who are now in talks to alter city ordinance laws, making the culinary events easier to maintain.

Safety hazards and customer inconvenience have been cited as reasons for city’s involvement, but City Attorney Russell Miyahira said the criticism spread via social media was exaggerated.

“They say we shut them down, but they were taking up too many parking spaces,” he said. “They should have divided themselves among (neighboring) lots so customers would not have been inconvenienced.”

Miyahira said he has heard reports of customers parking across the street from the Best Buy lot, located at 5000 West 147th St., because hungry foodies occupied the spaces. He added that large crowds may block emergency personnel from performing their duties.

“It’s a new eating experience, the city council is hearing the community but we want to be able to manage (these events) safely,” he said.

DeBaca’s organization Din Din A-Go Go organizes truck events in different cities. The Hawthorne gathering showcased 10 food trucks from 5:30 to 9 p.m. Tuesdays in June.

Although DeBaca said Best Buy invited the trucks to hold the event on its lot, store officials had no comment on the matter. He added that Hawthorne police would often join the event, grabbing a seat or a spot on the curb to enjoy the food truck fare.

“I don’t understand how there was a safety issue,” DeBaca said.

Four-wheeled restaurants are governed by a county-wide ordinance that limits their operation to 10 minutes in a public space and 30 minutes in a private space.

As of July 12, a committee comprised of the city manager, mayor, planning director and attorney have been discussing possible ways to rein in the events, such as requiring vendors to hold special event permits.

“It would be similar to a farmer’s market, that’s the best analogy,” Miyahira said.

Permit expiration and cost would depend on individual trucks and events, but Miyahira said they would probably be less than $200. He added that some private businesses may also require trucks to have a liability policy.

As the mobile eating phenomena grows, food trucks must now adhere to LA County Health Department regulations that require eateries to display letter grades reflecting the business’ cleanliness, and hold business licenses from the areas in which they vend.

Despite increased regulations, DeBaca said the policies do not hurt business.

“We are happy to work with the city on this,” he said. “We bring the communities together, we bring people out of their homes in a way that restaurants cannot.”

http://www.nbclosangeles.com/news/local/Hawthorne-Food-Truck-Laws-125844083.html