The City of Long Beach is hosting a virtual town hall to gather input on updates to its food truck ordinance on Tuesday, March 1 at 5:15 p.m.
According to the City, new regulations could include a permit for operating within the right of way and the creation of food truck operating zones and times of operation.
Long Beach is currently in the “final developmental stages” of updating the municipal codes for food truck operations while also working toward forming a Food Truck Program, a City statement said.
The program would streamline procedures, make sure there’s regulatory compliance from food truck operators and allow better enforcement of truck operations in the city.
Updates to the ordinance are due to the growth of the food truck industry, the City said. The industry reached $2.7 billion in revenue in 2017, according to a report from Food Truck Nation, a project of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation.
Due to the boom in the industry, the State’s legal framework has been revised in order to address regulatory issues at the local level.
To ensure compliance with State regulations, the City worked with consulting firm Lisa Wise Consulting (LWC) who recommended that the City establish a section within the municipal code that will list all food truck regulations.
The presentation, which will be given over Zoom by City staff and LWC representatives, will outline findings from a review of the City’s current practices, recommendations for updates and enforcement.
The public will have a chance to give input after the presentation. Interpretation services will be available in Spanish, Khmer and Tagalog.
This isn’t the only instance where community input about the food trucks has been sought. Long Beach created a Food Truck Ordinance Committee, a survey of City employees in relevant departments by LWC and six targeted panel interviews with those who would be impacted by the update including local businesses and truck operators, the City said.
The proposed updates to the municipal code and the Food Truck Program proposal will make their way to the city council for consideration in late spring.
Registration for the virtual meeting can be accessed here.