The Cathedral City Council voted unanimously on Oct. 22 to establish an 18-month pilot program that permits a limited number of regulated food trucks on private property under specified conditions.

Code manager Justin Gardner presented the ordinance as an 18-month test that would issue up to 10 permits, each active for 12 months during the pilot. Staff said the draft ordinance reflects council and community feedback and includes requirements for proof of sales tax registration, display of health-department paperwork, a restroom-access requirement for staff and customers, and a buffer from established eating and drinking facilities.

Under staff’s recommended parameters, food trucks participating in the pilot must show access to a permitted restroom within 150 feet (reduced from an earlier 200-foot draft), must be located at least 500 feet from an existing restaurant or eating establishment (the proposal reduced that buffer from an earlier 750-foot concept), and must hold a county health permit and city permit. The program does not replace existing code but supplements it, staff said.

Council members debated operational details including operating hours, restroom access and the geographic practicality of a 500-foot buffer. Councilmember Carnivale suggested limiting hours to shorten late-night impacts; he said food trucks “might be there till 10:30” and suggested closing earlier on some nights. Mayor Pro Tem Tim Gregory urged flexibility for the experiment, saying the trial should be “somewhat broad” to see whether later hours or different locations deliver value.

Mayor Pro Tem Gregory moved to adopt the uncodified ordinance to launch the pilot; the motion was seconded by Councilmember Carnivale and passed on a unanimous vote. Staff will issue up to 10 permits over the 18-month period, monitor the pilot, collect data on impacts and return to council with findings and potential revisions to Chapter 5.82 of the Cathedral City Municipal Code.