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Small business owner urges council to allow tents at city events after being excluded
Summary
A longtime Lathrop food vendor told council she was barred from city events this year because the city will only permit food trailers and not tent-based vendors, and she asked the council to reconsider for small operators who rely on tents.
During the Citizens Forum, Diedra (Dietrich) Cotton, owner of Chevelle Southern Catfish, told the Lathrop City Council she was excluded from two Lathrop events this year because staff would not allow tent-based vendors and insisted on trailers for food service.
"I come with my own insurance. I come with all the permits in order to operate out of a tent," Cotton said. She told council she has operated at fairs and festivals across San Joaquin County for decades, holds a health permit and a $2,000,000 insurance policy, and uses tents because customers can see the cooking.
Cotton said city staff told her tent vendors would not be allowed this year and she was removed from both the July event and Juneteenth despite being prepared to meet health and licensing requirements. She said trailer operation can be prohibitively expensive for older vendors and asked for council help to allow tent operators with proper permitting to participate.
City staff acknowledged receipt of Cotton's handout and said copies would be posted on the city's website under Citizens Forum. Council did not take immediate action at the meeting; staff said they would make submitted documents available to the public and follow up as appropriate.
Cotton also said she had to be fingerprinted for a city business license and contrasted current rules with earlier practice; she said she wanted to keep her business in Lathrop and asked council to consider exemptions or a path that allows tent vendors to operate safely at city events.
