Hold the tacos, New Orleans, Mexican food trucks are outlawed in a Parish (Jefferson: loans)

[High Springs Gator]

Fidel Sanchez is running an illegal enterprise that’s too unwholesome to be tolerated, according to politicians here in suburban Jefferson Parish.
Sanchez is selling tacos out of a truck.

Jefferson Parish politicians, who have long turned a blind eye to whites and blacks peddling shrimp out of pickup trucks and snow cones on the street, recently outlawed rolling Mexican-food kitchens, calling them an unwelcome reminder of what Hurricane Katrina brought. Soon, Sanchez will be run out of business.
“What they’re doing is just mean,” the Texas native, 49, said in Spanish, noting that he’d secured all needed permits before officials changed the rules last month. “I do think they want the Mexicans out. I don’t see any other explanation.”

Hold the tacos, New Orleans says - Mexican-food trucks are outlawed in a parish. Is it racism wrapped in a health issue? - Los Angeles Times

[Bluesmama]

Originally Posted by High Springs Gator

Hold the tacos, New Orleans says - Mexican-food trucks are outlawed in a parish. Is it racism wrapped in a health issue? - Los Angeles Times

The local city jurisdictions are bearing down on taco trucks here, too (I live in the Portland, Oregon "burbs"). The complaints are parking too close to established restaurants, sanitation, and basically just way too many of them. (We have a humongous Hispanic population out here.)

I have mixed feelings about it. They shouldn't just plop anywhere they want w/o property owner's approvals, and I agree that too many of them gets old. On the other hand, it is one of those less-costly options for a family to be self-supporting.

When I go to New Orleans the last thing I want is Mexican food (plenty of it here), but to see an occasional truck selling Cajun foods would be great!

[El Rhino]

This has been a big deal in Des Moines, IA as well as of late. I know my neighborhood association is against them. Personally, I'd rather see them/us work on getting the pawn shops, payday loans and rent-to-own predatory lending places to go before we worry about the roach coaches.

In a way it is unfair to local restaurants though. These guys do not pay taxes and usually leave their trailer parked in the same spot every day, just like a regular building. Sometimes the tires have been flat for a long period of time. I believe now they require them to move every now and then, provide a bathroom and pass inspections, which is good. I also believe that they are going to be required to pay a fee for a special vending license that covers the taco wagon.

The taco wagoneers had been getting a lot of support and cries of racism from people in neighborhoods that would not tolerate them in their own neighborhoods. I guess I'm somewhere in the middle. I'd like to see them monitored with some reasonable guidelines and protect local brick & mortar businesses...although I'm not sure if the roach coach actually takes away business from local restaurants besides some fast food joints. I don't know, there are bigger fish to fry, I suppose.

[Out of Alaska]

I guess I am just curious how they can let the people selling shrimp from coolers out of the back of the truck stay open.

Also, the quote: ...unwelcome reminder of what Hurricane Katrina brought...

Come on. I can think of about a hundred things that are an unpleasant reminder of what the hurricane brought. A taco truck that's popular w construction workers (read: rebuilding/construction/Yay!) is certainly not on my list.

[Jessiegee40]

Is the upleasant reminder that taco truck or all the Mexicans that came to work? We sure did need the manual labor after Katrina!! So what, now they need to go away? That just doesn't sound right!

[SouthernBelleInUtah]

Salt Lake City had so many complaints from regular restaurants that they enacted rules about health inspections, needing propery owner's permission for bathroom facilities nearby, and so many feet away from a regular restaurant. Not so much racism as business owners of the brick-mortar kind vs taco wagons.

[Bluesmama]

Here (Portland-Metro area) those that have permits to operate are restricted to four hours onsite.

However ~ and this is something I just realized ~ is that downtown Portland has one single block (old parking site) that houses a bunch of these. The foods range from Indian to sandwiches to Mexican, etc. I think they're open only certain hours of the daytime. I'm sure that a lot of people would prefer to see have the parking available; on the other hand, I think it's a pretty cool idea. Great for serving those on the go.