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Garden Grove food‑truck operators urge council to revisit 10‑minute moving requirement
Summary
Local food‑truck operators told the council the city’s enforcement practice that requires trucks to move every 10 minutes (and limits operation to public ways) is unsafe and hurts small businesses; councilmembers said they will review the rules and consider whether state or county laws drive enforcement.
Several Garden Grove food‑truck owners and operators used the May 12 public‑comment period to ask the city to revisit enforcement that they say requires trucks to operate only on public rights‑of‑way and to move frequently. Eduardo Rangel Jr., who operates El Sevichazo and a food truck at Fairview and Garden Grove Boulevard, told the Council he received a code citation April 30 that ordered trucks off private parking lots and said inspectors were requiring movement every 10 minutes. "Ten minutes is nearly not enough time for me to even take an order, for me to heat up my stove," Rangel said, calling the requirement a safety hazard for workers inside the vehicle.
Another speaker, Eduardo Ayala (speaking on behalf of his father), said the restriction would undercut small taco‑truck businesses that attract both local and tourist customers. City leaders responded that some enforcement reflects county and state rules, and councilmembers said they want to engage with operators to find workable local practices. One councilmember noted Los Angeles limits movement to once per hour and suggested staff compare other cities’ policies.
Councilmembers pledged to follow up with staff to clarify which restrictions are state or county mandates and which are local code, and to consider policy changes that would support local mobile‑food businesses while protecting brick‑and‑mortar operators and public safety. No formal change was made at the meeting.
