Food Truck Vendors Protest No Parking Signs On Shoreline Drive

LONG BEACH, CA — Food truck vendors marched to Long Beach City Hall from Shoreline Drive on Friday in protest of "no parking" signs that were put up where they do business without advance notice.

The City Council recently voted to move forward with recommendations to change how and where food trucks do business, but no final decisions were supposed to be made until at least April of 2023, Lupe Godinez who runs the Hibachi Queens food truck said.

"We were definitely led to believe by the city council that they were on our side and that they had their best interest for us," Godinez said. "We're being pretty much kicked out from every shoot we can possibly do business."

The parking signs prohibit large vehicles over 22 inches wide and 40 inches high from parking in parking spots along Shoreline Drive. They were put up on Thursday, just ahead of the busy weekend when the vendors see the most business.

Adriana Bradford, her husband Dante and their son Princeton, from the BunsNTails food truck, said they attended the protest to make a statement and show that there is enough business for everyone.

"We just came down to the city of Long Beach, two, three weeks ago and paid for a city parking permit that to park right there next to The Pike, and now two, three weeks later, they shut us down," Dante said. "They promised us it would at least go to the end of the year, and said that they wouldn't do anything."

The recommendations were drafted after complaints from restaurants in the area.

The city planner outlined a two-step process that starts with health and safety, requiring a health permit from the Long Beach health department to operate legally in the city. Previously, food trucks only needed a county permit.

The new rules may include aligning the city's municipal code with the state's laws. This would bring clarity to what Long Beach considers a food truck and would have them operate within 200 feet of a bathroom or hand-washing area or have permission from nearby businesses to use their bathrooms.

The protestors said they look forward to the next City Council meeting on Tuesday, Oct. 4, so they can voice their concerns with the council members.