Napa council meeting during food truck discussions

I’ve followed much of the controversy regarding the food trucks in Napa and want to say to the leadership of Napa, “catch up to the ‘90s.”

Cities around the nation have embraced food trucks as a means to providing food to residents and visitors at a reasonable cost. With the high cost of commercial brick and mortar real estate in Napa, food trucks are a very logical alternative for the low-wage, blue collar workers here who cannot afford to eat at the trendy, high-cost tourist traps.

In a sense, food trucks helped make Napa in recent history. Napans who worked at Mare Island enjoyed food trucks on their breaks. Workers would hear their melodic horns announce that hot food had arrived. Similarly, workers at Travis Air Force Base had food trucks patrolling the flight line and industrial buildings for airmen and civilians to enjoy hot food and snacks to keep them working. Food trucks were a morale booster to these workers, as they are to the workers of Napa. Aside from fast food places, some standard national franchises like Denny’s, Applebee’s, IHOP and a handful of good local eateries, Napa has very few reasonably priced alternatives for food. The vast majority of restaurants (other than fast food) are expensive and cater to either the tourist or the wealthy in our area. Food trucks provide good food at a good price because they don’t have the same overhead costs of a commercial building. Since they don’t have to pay for rent or mortgage, electricity, heat, seating and fixtures and a load of staff, food trucks can keep prices down and still make livable margins.

Napa has the opportunity to create a comprehensive plan for providing food to the residents and visitors of Napa and expand the tax base. There is room here for all: Expensive and inexpensive, sit-down served and walk-up take-out. Napa got its name for its humble fine wines in a snobbish industry. Now it is Napa who has become snobbish by doing everything in its power to prevent or make it almost impossible for Napa’s blue collar workers from getting good and fine dining, quality food at low prices. Food trucks can provide variety from burgers, sandwiches, ethnic, healthy salads and wraps to high-end professionally trained chefs who make wonderful presentations in a cardboard box. You can get everything from food trucks.

Portland, Ore. has embraced food trucks as part of its trendy places to eat. Many towns depend on them to feed their blue-collar work force for all meals. It’s fine that the white- collar professionals can take time for a three-martini lunch, but many of the people who keep this city running get only a 30-minute break to eat. Most city and county government employees get only about a 40-minute lunch. Where can they go get a fast, quality hot meal on their small paychecks and short breaks?

Recently, the History Channel aired a program called Modern Marvels about the food truck boom in the United States. In it, they spoke of the origins of the food truck as the chuck wagon on the cattle drives. Food trucks continue that tradition of following the hard-working people who make this nation what it is. When there is a natural disaster, like a flood or earthquake, food trucks can move to where the food is needed and don’t need electricity from the grid. Food trucks are owned by locals, not national franchises, big corporations, or out of town celebrities.

Napa has become known for is innovations in the wine and food industry by breaking from the established traditions of the world. Why should that innovation be limited to traditional restaurants? The people of Napa deserve to have the very best available to them. The city leaders need to drop their good-old boy traditions and embrace what the rest of the nation has already adopted by allowing the food trucks to provide for the citizens and working force of Napa. It’s time to benchmark off the other communities who have found that the food truck is a valuable part of the community.

Read more: http://napavalleyregister.com/news/opinion/mailbag/food-trucks-satisfy-lunchtime-need-in-napa/article_bd9bea68-3cd9-11e1-ad01-0019bb2963f4.html#ixzz1jGf4CSXx

food truck fridays

Though the mobile-dining roundup known as Food Truck Friday was only a few months old in early 2011, everything seemed to be in place to make this the year of the food truck in Napa. Everything, that is, except city-issued use permits.

In the event’s brief flowering, Food Truck Fridays were drawing about nine food trucks and 400 diners to a First Street lot near the Oxbow Public Market before being shut down in mid-March for code violations and the absence of an event permit.

Among the cited problems: The location at 728 First St. was not wheelchair accessible; fire pits were too close to canopies and trucks; and vendors from outside Napa needed to have Napa food permits.

Additionally, customers were bringing their own alcohol to the event, serving it themselves and no one was checking IDs.

The event, like many of its participating vendors, was also in need of a permit from the city. Events outside the normal operation of a business are required to have a temporary use permit from the city, even if held on private property like Food Truck Fridays were, according to the city.

Immediately after the event came to a halt, the city said it would try to find an alternate location for it while the owner of the event grounds, Andrew Siegal, obtained the necessary permits to continue Food Truck Fridays.

Staff said it never had a problem with the popular “food rave,” as some called the event, but rather with the site. If the reported problems were fixed and a permit obtained, foodies from the Napa Valley could once again get their gourmet fix the first Friday of each month, officials said.

Siegal, who also owns the Dim Sum Charlie’s food truck that serves food at the First Street site most days, said it could take months and more than $10,000 to meet the city’s demands.

At year’s end, no alternate location had been found and no applications to allow for the event to occur had been filed with the city.

In February, the Napa Planning Commission began to address the overwhelming lack of properly permitted trucks in the city by approving use permits for two of the city’s 14 mobile food vendors.

Though the trucks had city business licenses and permits from the Napa County Environmental Management Department, few if any knew they were also required to have a city use permit, a rule that the city had not been enforcing.

In April, the Napa Chamber of Commerce approached the city and asked it to examine what it said was an outdated food truck ordinance, beginning a review process that took up the remainder of the year.

The chamber suggested a group of stakeholders, including food truck and restaurant owners, residents and others involved in the mobile restaurant industry, meet to work on a new ordinance.

The group met several times over the course of the summer to discuss where trucks should be allowed to operate, what they should be allowed to look like, if they should provide restrooms to customers, whether they must relocate after a certain period of time and other possible regulations.

In the meantime, Napa Valley College ousted its cafeteria service for fall semester and opted to bring trucks on campus so students could purchase food from a variety of outlets. The pilot program could continue in the spring.

In the fall, issues involving the regulation of food trucks were brought to the Planning Commission and City Council, which gave their input on about 20 points that could be included in the still-pending ordinance.

Some council members favored the idea of trucks providing restrooms for customers if the truck provides a seating area that encourages diners to stay at the premises for a while. Additionally, some council members said they think the trucks should move from their operating locations at night.

City staff is working on a draft ordinance that could be available for public comment and review in January.

Read more: http://napavalleyregister.com/news/local/city-working-on-recipe-for-approving-food-trucks/article_f436b2a4-3060-11e1-92ab-0019bb2963f4.html#ixzz1hkYyGaiR

By CHANTAL M. LOVELL | NapaValleyRegister.com

Councilman Krider expressed concern that trucks could become a blight on the city.

Should food trucks be required to move when they close for business each night?

Should they provide restrooms to customers?

Should they be allowed to sell near a school or park?

Those are a few of the questions the Napa City Council chewed on Tuesday night as members gave staff suggestions on what a new food truck ordinance might include.

Napa has 14 or 15 mobile food trucks, according to the city.

Previously, staff had asked the Planning Commission and an ad hoc committee, composed of truck operators, brick-and-mortar restaurant owners and others, 20 questions about what aspects of food truck operations should be regulated and how.

Wanting guidance on issues of disagreement, planning manager Rick Tooker asked the council last week for guidance on how a draft ordinance should be written.

Most council members said if the trucks provide a seating area that encourages customers to sit and eat their food on site, there should also be a bathroom available to customers, including those with disabilities.

“It’s just common cleanliness,” said Councilman Mark van Gorder. “People should have the ability and be encouraged to wash their hands before eating. There should be a toilet, a sink, running water and soap and those should also be ADA (Americans With Disabilities Act)-accessible.”

Food trucks are permitted and monitored by the county health department, which already requires the trucks to be located within 200 feet of a restroom that is available to their employees, according to a staff report.

Those participating in the stakeholders’ meeting did not think food trucks should be required to provide restrooms, regardless of whether they offer a seating area, Tooker said.

City staff and planning commissioners echoed the council’s thought that restrooms should be provided if seating is provided.

The council was less clear on whether trucks should be allowed to set up shop within 300 feet of a school or park. Staff expressed concern that many high school students would gather around a food truck around lunch time, Tooker said.

Police Capt. Jeff Troendly said Napa police would be concerned in instances when students would need to cross a street to get to a food truck.

Van Gorder said he would rather not see food trucks in park environments where people often go to get away from “commercial business.”

Mayor Jill Techel said she would hesitate to create regulations that would prevent food trucks from assembling at events like softball tournaments held in parks.

The food truck ordinance, which could be written by the beginning of the new year, is not intended to prevent special events that could make use of food trucks, Tooker said.

Councilman Peter Mott said given the work that’s being done to revamp the downtown area and the drafting of a Downtown Napa Specific Plan, he would like to see food trucks kept out of the area.

“There’s plenty of other places in the rest of the community,” Mott said. The city is trying to create a different ambiance in the downtown area where food trucks may not fit, he said.

Regardless of where the trucks are allowed to locate, they may be required to move after hours.

Councilwoman Juliana Inman said the trucks should not be allowed to stay in the public right of way at night, while Councilman James Krider expressed concern that trucks, if allowed to stay in one spot for days and nights without end, could become a blight on the city.

“We run the risk of a food truck being parked somewhere indefinitely,” he said.

Tooker said trucks are already required to leave their posts at least once a day to fill their kitchens at commissaries where the food is prepared. For this reason, the food truck stakeholders said they do not feel they should have to store their vehicles off-site at night.

Techel sided with city staff who said the trucks are mobile and should be required to move at night.

“When a food truck becomes a permanent piece of property, then I think it’s changed and it’s under a whole new set of rules and regulations than this business,” Techel said.

Colin Simonson, a co-owner of the Crossroad Chicken food truck that operates outside JV Wine & Spirits in the Oxbow district, said the current ordinances make it impossible for food trucks to do business, if those regulations were enforced.

For example, food trucks are required to move their operations every 15 minutes, which is not even enough time to park and set up shop, Simonson said.

“The rules that are in place right now are outdated,” he said. “They make it really hard to do business. … “I think some good things can come of (the new ordinance).”

Wilber Valencia, owner of the Tacomania truck that operates on Salvador Avenue, said he is hopeful the new regulations will be a good thing, although he does not think mobile food operations should be treated differently than brick and mortar businesses.

“Some of those regulations will help us,” he said. “They will make us work inside the law, and I think that’s a good thing.”

The Napa Chamber of Commerce, which originally called for the meetings, expressed support of the process and pending ordinance.

“I think at the end of the day, we’ll come up with a policy that works for everybody and balances the needs of the consumers, the food trucks and the brick and mortar restaurants,” said Ryan Gregory, chairman of the Napa Chamber of Commerce. “It’s a big job, balancing all that together.”

By Napa Valley Register Editorial Board

Food Truck Fridays is a victim of its own success. The city of Napa looked like it was playing fun police last week when announcing that the popular monthly event near Oxbow Public Market was being shut down until it could acquire the necessary use permits.

Four hundred hungry consumers turned out in March to enjoy the affordable and diverse cuisine from nine different mobile eateries.

But the event’s size and popularity are exactly what forced its deficiencies onto the city’s agenda.

Code enforcement has not been a demonstrated priority for the city — count the banned A-frame signage still peppering the downtown sidewalks two months after a restrictive sign that ordinance passed. But when an event grows 400 consumers strong, the city has to take notice.

And these are not A-frame-caliber concerns: Four hundred diners, no on-site bathrooms. Alcohol, no alcohol permits. Fire pit, no nearby fire extinguisher. Not even an extra garbage can.

Food Truck Fridays is a fun, festive, flavorful gathering … and an accident waiting to happen.

More than 1,000 people turned out on Facebook — on a “Save the Napa Food Truck Up” page — once news came that April’s party was being pooped on. “Trying to stop the bureaucrats from shutting down the First Friday Food Truck Gathering,” reads the page.

Those grumbling about an “anti-business” city hell bent on spoiling the party, should realize it would be their tax dollars funding defense of a Food Truck Friday lawsuit.

If the city looked the other way, taxpayers could be liable for injuries, drunk driving incidents or any other accident stemming from this event. But a day in court could happen without an incident. Lawyers for a customer seeking access in a wheelchair could sue right now. The site does not have proper railings or ramps in accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act.

Bathrooms, alcohol permits, fire extinguishers, wheelchair access. These responsibilities apply to all restaurants, with or without wheels.

Public outrage notwithstanding, the city had to act.

And it has done more than that.

Napa knows how much residents enjoy this event, and it’s trying to come up with a solution.

The city is still working with private property owners this week in an effort to find a location for a food truck event for this Friday, what would be Food Truck Friday’s regularly scheduled date.

“It’s important to make a distinction between the event and the site,” said Barry Martin, Napa’s community outreach coordinator. “We want the event to keep going.”

“Just about every city you can think of is in the same situation as we are with this. The food truck trend has developed so quickly that cities don’t have regulations on the books yet.”

Whether the event finds its way back to the Oxbow area remains to be seen. Andrew Siegal, owner of Dim Sum Charlie’s and coordinator of Food Truck Fridays, has his business’ use permit going before the planning commission in April. That’s an essential first step to getting the site reestablished.

The public outrage to this event’s cancellation was swift and showed how much Napans value it, but the city is acting to protect those same Napans from a bevy of potential problems.

It’s no fun being the fun police.

Mark Raymond, the brains behind popular Napa-based "Mark's the Spot" serves up some of his signature sliders. Credit Alexis Fitts

As if miraculously ordained, the skies cleared just long enough for crowds to dance to live music and chat their way through Sonoma’s inaugural Food Truck Friday, held at Sebastiani Winery March 25.

And of course, there was plenty of eating to be had by the enthusiastic participants.

“It’s hard to think of anything Sonoma needs, but if it needs anything it’s this,” said Kori Schake.

For now, organizers intend to host the Food Truck event in Sonoma on the last Friday of every month.

“I know the issues with restaurants being worried about their business, but once a month doesn’t hurt people – in my opinion,” said James Ledwith.

The event will make its way through the Sonoma Planning Commission next month, to obtain a long-term permit.

“I’ve already ran into three council members and the entire Planning Commission,” said Sonoma City Councilman Ken Brown, who had observed earlier this year that the event — which started in Napa — “could never work in Sonoma.”

“They’re doing their jobs,” Brown said of his fellow city officials.

On Tuesday morning, Napa city spokesman Barry Martin said there had been no resolution of the impasse between Food Truck Friday founder Andrew Siegal of Dim Sum Charlie’s and city officials who halted Siegal’s First Street gathering over permitting, safety, alcohol and accessibility concerns.

But, Martin added, the parties were meeting to discuss the issues and he hoped to have an announcement soon.

http://napa.patch.com/articles/sonoma-welcomes-food-truck-friday#photo-5427418

By Angela Hart | Patch.com

What do you think — are they hurting local businesses, or is it just healthy competition?

By Louisa Hufstader | Napa Patch

The popular monthly mobile restaurant gatherings are on hold till further notice; city planning commission to take up the matter in April.

Photo -Louisa Hufstader

Food Truck Fridays, the monthly first-Friday convocation of mobile restaurants in downtown Napa’s Oxbow district, has been halted until further notice as the city of Napa’s planning staff seeks to bring the event into compliance with a raft of municipal regulations and the federal Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).

“There are some pretty significant issues,” said city planning director Rick Tooker in an interview Tuesday afternoon.

Tooker provided Napa Patch with a list of those issues, which he also called “talking points,” prepared for the city planning commission and council.

The list includes concerns about fire safety, handicapped accessibility, crowded conditions and alcohol use.

Tooker said a number of the food trucks invited to the 724 First Street property by its owner, Andrew Siegal of Dim Sum Charlie’s Mobile Food Cart, did not have local permits and that Siegal himself had not obtained the necessary permit to hold a large gathering at the site.

Siegal told Napa Patch that he felt “very betrayed” by the city after having worked for six months to develop an event that successfully attracted customers to the Oxbow district and downtown.

“I felt like they had encouraged us to continue,” he said.

Siegal said that the Napa County Environmental Management Department, which regulates food safety in Napa restaurants, had worked with Food Truck Fridays to issue on-the-spot permits to the visiting trucks at the last event March 4.

“We thought that was probably one of the most extraordinary things for a department that not always known as very business-friendly,” he said.

But while he felt the county was cooperative, Siegal said the formerly positive attitude of city staff had changed in his most recent meeting with Tooker and other planning department employees, when they told him there had to be changes before the event could continue.

“I kind of feel submarined,” Siegal said.

Tooker said the planning commission would likely take up the matter of Food Truck Fridays in April.

Siegal said he was meeting Tuesday with Steve Carlin, owner of the Oxbow Public Market, to discuss strategies for sustaining the event, which Tooker said came to the city’s attention after it attracted hundreds of people in February.

Siegal’s Airstream-based Dim Sum Charlie’s continues to dish out steamed buns, ribs and other Asian fare at his First Street property – when it’s not faring farther afield:

Flora Springs Winery in Rutherford is now hosting a Food Truck Friday event on the third week of the month, and Siegal is spearheading an inaugural Sonoma round-up at Sebastiani Winery this Friday.

At the same time, south Napa has lost its own food truck gathering: the Third Thursday event at the Napa Valley Culinary Centre on Devlin Road has also been put on hold.

Mark Raymond, proprietor of Mark’s The Spot truck, said that gathering is on hiatus for 60 to 90 days while the property owner resolves a corporate bylaw prohibiting food trucks on the site.

http://napa.patch.com/articles/food-truck-fridays-halted-in-napa#photo-4468395