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The Palm Springs City Council met Wednesday night to pass some remarkably dumb food truck regulations that were clearly written to make sure that food trucks will never be successful operating in the city.
The rules are incredibly in favor of brick and mortar restaurants because, as The Desert Sun reports, they are the ones in wrote them:
The ordinance was drafted with feedback from local brick and mortar restaurants, hotels and city officials. The new ordinance comes after studying the issue for more than a year.
So what happens when a city council turns over writing laws to a group of people who only have their own self interest in mind? Well, you get regulations that are laughably dumb:
The trucks — which must be permitted by the city — are not allowed on downtown streets which includes Palm Canyon and Indian Canyon drives from Vista Chino to Ramon roads. The trucks must also stay off of Belardo Road, North Museum Drive and East Tahquitz Canyon Way, according to the ordinance.
The hours of operation for food trucks will be allowed from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., seven days a week, Oct 1 to April 30. The hours are extended two hours to 7 p.m. during summer months from May 1 to Sept. 30.
The ordinance is in part a response to fear by local restauranteurs who want to prevent out-of-town trucks from swooping into the city and poaching diners.
Well, no need to play that fear card any more, local restaurants. The Palm Springs City council was more than happy to throw out the ideas of capitalism and entrepreneurship just for you (do they also have rules to make sure brick and mortar restaurant owners and other businesses are not from out of town?).
Food trucks in the city will not be allowed on the streets in town with decent foot traffic or operate during breakfast or dinner hours. They also can not set up on a street with a speed limit of above 35 mph and must be within 200 feet of a “legally approved and permitted toilet and hand-washing facility” – amazing, seeing as how there are basically zero public toilets in the entire downtown area, but now suddenly the city council give a shit about bathrooms?
The new regulations make sure that the rich will continue to get richer (but hey, that could mean more consulting fees for the mayor!) and the little guy will not be allowed a chance to compete – all while you will not be given a choice of where to spend your money (and tax dollars) when it comes to eating in the city of Palm Springs. But that is what happens when a city council lets special interest groups write the laws.
