Taco Libre: Everyone's Talking Tacos
Amy Scattergood took a spin around Taco Libre in East LA last night, the last night before taco trucks are limited to 60 minutes in one spot or face steep fines and even jail time: "The taco crowd was good, especially considering that the Lakers were playing game 5 only a few miles away. And the gathering was upbeat, proving that a heady taco al pastor can generate more civic goodwill than a questionable city ordinance. Saveourtacotrucks.com founders Chris Rutherford and Aaron Sonderleiter (looking tired, overwhelmed by the enormous publicity their site has generated, and a bit sauce-spattered) said that they've received over 9,000 signatures on their petition -- but no comment from District 1 County Supervisor Gloria Molina." Of course, this ordinance only covers unincorporated areas of Los Angeles, but that's about 65% of the county and that's a lot of taco trucks.
In other taco news, Zocalo sponsors "Remember the Taco Truck!" on May 22 with panelists Jonathan Gold, CHOW's C. Thi Nguyen, Barry Glassner and SaveOurTacoTrucks.org co-founder Chris Rutherford. It's free, parking is $5 and you must reserve ahead of time.
· Taco Libre! [Daily Dish]
· Remember the Tacos [LAist]
· More on Taco Truck Wars [~ELA~]
Taco Truck Love, Night, Warpath Cont.
Who knew the hipster hordes would come knocking after the East L.A. taco truck ordinance was passed by the Board of Supervisors? Not the Board of Supervisors. Maria Cerdas, a deputy for Supervisor Yvonne B. Burke, told the LAT "To me it is surprising that these young people are taking such an interest. I did not foresee it." And their interest sparked a media frenzy, covered in local and national magazines, blogs and newspapers, which must be making them all just a wee bit uncomfortable. Keep the wave going: A reminder that tonight is Taco Truck Night.
· An Outpouring of Taco Truck Love [~ELA~]
· For Love of LA Taco Trucks [LAT]
· Taco Truck Wars: Save the Tacos on May 1 [~ELA~]
Taco Truck Wars: Save the Tacos on May 1
From Save Our Taco Trucks
The messy East LA Taco Truck War makes headlines in Time this week, with a big shout out to the guys who started the revolution:
Taco truck patrons are getting fired up, too. About 2,000 people have signed an online petition calling for the law to be repealed at Saveourtacotrucks.org, a web site created by two teachers, Aaron Sonderleiter and Chris Rutherford. Signers have left comments like, "The revolution will be served on a paper plate," "This is for you, Taco Zone. Your al pastor tacos have warmed my soul on many a cold night," and "Quit punishing people for bringing us taco-induced joy! Viva los taco trucks!"
Sonerleiter and Rutherford want
to gather 5,000 signatures to stop the ordinance and send to Gloria Molina and the Board of Supervisors by May 1. They also
designated May 1 as Taco Truck Night: "Take your family, your friends, or anybody else who loves tacos. Go out, get some carne asada or al pastor and support your local hard working taco vendor. While you’re there be sure to hand out some posters and tell your fellow Angelenos what’s happening to our beloved Taco Trucks."
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The Great Taco Truck War [~ELA~]
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An Outpouring of Taco Truck Love [~ELA~]
·
Taco Truck Night is May 1 [SaveOurTacoTrucks.org]
An Outpouring of Taco Truck Love
La Estrella from Great Taco Hunt, Flickr
The blogosphere is abuzz with news of the taco truck wars---YorkBlvd even launched a letter writing campaign directed at Supervisor Gloria Molina who penned the ordinance that will essentially run the trucks out of town---but one of the city's biggest fans of street vendors, a veritable King of Taco Trucks, Jonathan Gold, finally has his say:
Why would an ordinarily sensible woman wait 45 minutes outside a truck to secure the same plate of food she could nab in one-tenth that time at the related taquería next door? Sure, it’s the communal experience, the great brotherhood of the taco-eaters, but it is also the food. In tacos as in love, timing is everything, and if you’ve ever inhaled a taco of pork al pastor moments after the slivers of dripping meat have been hacked from the spit, you know: At that moment, desire and fulfillment are one. A great street taco is happiness translated into the language of warm tortillas, finely chopped onion and a hot sauce that bring you to your knees.
Gold doesn't editorialize much on whether Molina's law is wrong, but it's obvious where his loyalties lie. And really, if the taco trucks were obsolete, where would the man eat half the time?
As for that letter writing campaign, an update: "The petition is working and your thousands of signatures are getting some serious attention. We’re receiving support from all over Los Angeles and all across the world...But we need to keep going, especially in the areas most affected...
Let's shoot for 5,000 signatures by May 1st."
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Saving the Taco Trucks [~ELA~]
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Keep on (Taco) Trucking [LA Weekly]
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Good News Everyone [SaveOurTacoTrucks.org]
Saving the Taco Trucks
La Estrella from Great Taco Hunt, Flickr
Barely two days after an ordinance was passed that would limit mobile food vendors (i.e. taco trucks, otherwise and affectionately knowns as roach coaches) to 60 minutes in any one location or face steep fines or jail time, and the folks at YorkBlvd came up with this: SaveOurTacoTrucks.org, with the brilliant tag line, "Carne Asada Is Not a Crime." It's an online petition to tell District 1 County Supervisor Gloria Molina, who penned the ordinance, and the L.A. Board of Supervisors that East LA's taco trucks are important to the social fabric of the city. You may or may not address Molina as a "Ding Dong" (see comment #4).
· Taco Truck Wars: It's So On [~ELA~]
· Save Our Taco Trucks [YorkBlvd]
· SaveOurTacoTrucks.org [Official site]
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