The Licenses Committee on July 30 recommended renewal of El Pastorito's food-truck license but imposed a 10-day suspension after the Milwaukee Health Department reported repeated food-safety violations and closures. The committee's action was based on a department objection filed in the renewal record and testimony from health officials detailing multiple closures for running water and food-temperature violations.

The committee's health witness, Carly Hagerty, director of Consumer and Environmental Health for the Milwaukee Health Department, told the panel the health division had issued multiple orders-to-cease for the operator's truck and base kitchen across 2024 and 2025, including two closures in January 2025 for operating without running water and separate August and September 2024 orders for imminent health hazards tied to cold- and hot-holding violations and pest issues. Hagerty said department staff had issued a citation and were concerned the operator had fallen back into patterns of noncompliance after prior corrective steps.

Operator Jennifer Antunez Martinez acknowledged the department's findings and told the committee she had been out of the business for a period (postpartum leave) and relied on employees during that time. She said she has since resumed full-time oversight, is retraining staff, and is dedicating more personal time to make the truck and its base kitchen compliant. Martinez told the committee she accepted the department's concerns and would take the recommended steps to correct violations.

After discussion, Alderman Alex Brower moved to renew the license with a 10-day suspension, citing the health department's documentation and testimony that the operation had presented a demonstrated threat to public health and safety. The motion passed without recorded objection. Committee staff said a written report of findings and recommendations would be prepared and forwarded to the full Common Council, which makes the final determination; the operator was told she may submit written exceptions to the report to the City Clerk in advance of the council hearing.

Health department testimony, as entered into the committee record, lists closures and formal orders in 2024 and 2025 for no running water on the truck, multiple hot- and cold-holding violations, raw food stored above ready-to-eat products, and a closure for pest infestation at the base kitchen. Hagerty said the department has attempted repeated compliance meetings and that, while some corrections were made, recurring problems prompted the formal objection.

The committee's action is a recommendation to the Common Council and was framed by members as a measured step: renewal paired with a short suspension and a written report rather than immediate nonrenewal. Committee members said the suspension is intended to give the operator time to complete corrective steps while protecting public health. Martinez said she understood the committee's concerns and will maintain the corrective actions described at the hearing.

The Common Council will receive the committee's report and may accept, modify or reject the recommendation; the committee advised Martinez how and when to file written exceptions and noted the date the council will consider the matter.