I know that many people have been waiting and waiting to know what's next with Sacramento's food truck ordinances.
The last time I updated everyone was probably the end of July. At that time we had had a few roundtable discussions with the City, the restaurant owners, the California Restaurant Association, and, of course, the food trucks.
The food trucks gave a wishlist of some of the things they would like. The list included such things as being allowed to park for the meter limit (if it's a 2 hour meter, they should be able to park there for 2 hours) and being allowed on private property with owner's permission.
Where we left it in July was in the City's hands. They had collected information from everyone and said they were going to start working on some proposed ordinances, it would take a few months, and hopefully they would have something in the fall.
Whatever is proposed has to go to committee first - the Law and Legislation Committee. At first we heard it would be October. Then it got pushed to today, November 1st. I was all set to go today and then found out it was cancelled.
I contacted the City to see if they had a status. Here is what I can tell you.
The new outlook for some proposed ordinances will be in the new year. Basically, we are getting to the holidays and the Council calendar is fast approaching their break period.
The City found out that the Parks Department has been working on some food truck ordinances themselves - to allow vending in the parks. Currently McKinley Park has been on a pilot program - you may have seen the falafel/gyro trailer there. The two, City and Parks, are now going to work together so that they aren't working at cross purposes.
There's a bit more, but nothing that I can share or really is all that interesting anyway. It all boils down to it not happening in 2011 like I, personally, and the food trucks had hoped. But government wheels always move slowly and perhaps I was being overly optimistic to hope that we could get proposed ordinances by year end. Oh well.
What positive thing I can say is what I've always said since April's SactoMoFo - that the City is interested and in a favorable mood toward food trucks and it's just a matter of finding out how much they are willing to change the ordinances. For now, though, it is still a matter of wait and see.
Patience, patience.
Be sure to follow my food truck Twitter account: @SacFoodTrucks for news on what's happening here and around the country.
The last time I updated everyone was probably the end of July. At that time we had had a few roundtable discussions with the City, the restaurant owners, the California Restaurant Association, and, of course, the food trucks.
The food trucks gave a wishlist of some of the things they would like. The list included such things as being allowed to park for the meter limit (if it's a 2 hour meter, they should be able to park there for 2 hours) and being allowed on private property with owner's permission.
Where we left it in July was in the City's hands. They had collected information from everyone and said they were going to start working on some proposed ordinances, it would take a few months, and hopefully they would have something in the fall.
Whatever is proposed has to go to committee first - the Law and Legislation Committee. At first we heard it would be October. Then it got pushed to today, November 1st. I was all set to go today and then found out it was cancelled.
I contacted the City to see if they had a status. Here is what I can tell you.
The new outlook for some proposed ordinances will be in the new year. Basically, we are getting to the holidays and the Council calendar is fast approaching their break period.
The City found out that the Parks Department has been working on some food truck ordinances themselves - to allow vending in the parks. Currently McKinley Park has been on a pilot program - you may have seen the falafel/gyro trailer there. The two, City and Parks, are now going to work together so that they aren't working at cross purposes.
There's a bit more, but nothing that I can share or really is all that interesting anyway. It all boils down to it not happening in 2011 like I, personally, and the food trucks had hoped. But government wheels always move slowly and perhaps I was being overly optimistic to hope that we could get proposed ordinances by year end. Oh well.
What positive thing I can say is what I've always said since April's SactoMoFo - that the City is interested and in a favorable mood toward food trucks and it's just a matter of finding out how much they are willing to change the ordinances. For now, though, it is still a matter of wait and see.
Patience, patience.
Be sure to follow my food truck Twitter account: @SacFoodTrucks for news on what's happening here and around the country.