Sunday, June 17, 2007

Salinas, California proposes taco truck ban



(photo via New York Times)


Anti-taco forces are attempting to ban taco trucks in Salinas, California. For some communities the taco lifestyle is seen as a threat to the status quo. The culture war between anti-taco forces and pro-taco forces is reaching a fever pitch my friends. Taco fever is here to stay but nobody said the road to freedom would be paved with tortillas hechas a mano. So the struggle continues. In solidarity with my taco brethren up north I will grill some carne asada and eat a jalapeno. Otra vez!

Proposed Ban on Taco Trucks Stirs Animosity in a California Town[NY Times]
Taco truck controversy elevated to next level[Monterey Herald]
Taco Trucks vs. The Restaurant Cartel in Salinas, CA[Carpe Diem]

30 comments:

  1. Pathetic. The market clearly allows "brick-and-mortar" and vans to co-exist right now. Hysterical fears about E. coli are raised by the existence of the "brick-and-mortar" factory farming operations that put the spinach scare into the public in the first place. No one got E. coli from eating carne asada from a van. That MEX restaurants are also behind the ban is even more disgusting.

    What's really mind-boggling is that I used to live in Monterey and, at that time, Salinas was a forgotten town with a dying city center, full of "for lease" signs and sure-to-fail initiatives. No one went there who didn't live there, except on a cultural excursion to see the remnants of Steinbeck's history or to that Brit pub or to experience for half-an-hour what a migrant experiences for decades by pickin'-yer-own vegetables. After that, it was back up Highway 17 to "civilization" on the coast.

    Now, apparently, things are looking up as the city becomes a bedroom community for the South Bay. City leaders are way too arrogrant about their town's prospects, and the Van Ban is one indicator of that.

    They don't know, that in the American cultural pantheon, Salinas remains Salinas, with only three things to show for it to the well-fed American: Steinbeck, lettuce and E. coli.

    None of those relate to having or not having taco vans. Those vendors are innocent.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I'm really surprised a small town like Salinas gets a write up in the NY Times. The people with money proposed something similar in Oakland, not with taco trucks, but with push cart peddlers, a PBS station actually made a documentary. It's kinda like "not in my neighborhood" or the old excuse "more crime will occur." I feel like driving down to Salinas, sitting in that clown's restaurant, ordering food, then tell him, I've changed my mind.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Please do come to Salinas and enjoy our street taco culture. Here's an archive of reports and a google map to guide the way.
    http://www.chowhound.com/topics/407568

    And, be sure to let our mayor know how you feel. You can email Dennis Donahue at dennisd@ci.salinas.ca.us .

    ReplyDelete
  4. In my hometown of Redwood City, CA, there was a similar battle between the taco trucks and restaurants about 20 years ago. Somehow it was resolved. The local paper, which I think was the Peninsula Times-Tribune, covered it. Perhaps some intrepid taco truck supporter from Salinas could dig around the archives in RWC and see how it was resolved. It might provide a template to resolve the problem in Salinas. We did a crawl in Salinas years ago and the tacos were stupendous. It would be a shame to see them go.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Melanie

    you've done some great reporting. One of these days I'll have to make my way up to Salinas.

    I'd love to interview one of the salinas taco truck owners for my better know a taquero segment.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Who cares, Salinas, like most of LA, is a shithole.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Gold key link for( wow power leveling )the law by (wow power leveling)the law by( wow power leveling )all, such as bubble( power leveling )shadow dream hallucinations, such( wow gold )as exposed as well( wow powerleveling )as electricity, should be the case

    ReplyDelete
  8. Do you want to know the magic of online games, and here you can get more ro zeny. Do you want to have a try? Come on and ragnarok zeny can make you happy.You can change a lot iro zeny for play games. And you will enjoy yourself at the same time. Playing online games can make much cheap zeny. And you can use the ragnarok online zeny do what you want to do in the online game. Come and join with us. We are waiting for your coming.
    What do you know rappelz rupees. And do you want to know? You can get rappelz gold here. And welcome to our website, here you can play games, and you will buy rupees to play game. I know rappelz money, and it is very interesting.Do you want a try, come and view our website, and you will learn much about cheap rappelz rupees. Come and join with us. We are waiting for your coming.

    ReplyDelete
  9. You know ,I have some Entropiauniverse ped, and my friend also has some
    Entropia Universe Gold, do you kouw they have the same meaning,Both of them can be called
    Entropia Universe Money,I just want to
    Buy Entropia Universe Gold, because there are many
    cheap Entropiauniverse ped.
    You know ,I have some Atlantica online Gold, and my friend also has some
    Atlantica Gold, do you kouw they have the same meaning,Both of them can be called
    Atlantica online money,I just want to
    buy Atlantica online Gold, because there are many
    cheap Atlantica online Gold.

    ReplyDelete
  10. I always heard something from my neighbor that he sometimes goes to the internet bar to play the game which will use him some Perfect World Gold,he usually can win a lot of Buy Perfect World Gold,then he let his friends all have some Perfect World Silver,his friends thank him very much for introducing them the Perfect World money,they usually cheap Perfect World Gold together. And get more fun from the pw gold.

    ReplyDelete
  11. I always heard something from my neighbor that he sometimes goes to the internet bar to play the game which will use him some mabinogi gold,he usually can win a lot of cheap mabinogi,then he let his friends all have some mabinogi money,his friends thank him very much for introducing them the buy mabinogi gold,they usually mabinogi online gold together.

    ReplyDelete
  12. Do you know 2moons dil? I like it. My brother often goes to the internet bar to buy 2moons gold and play it. After school, He likes playing games using these 2moon dil with his friend. I think that it not only costs much money but also spend much time. One day, he give me many buy 2moons dil and play the game with me. I came to the bar following him and found cheap 2moons gold was so cheap.

    ReplyDelete
  13. Do you know cabal online alz? I like it.
    My brother often go to the internet bar to buy cabal alz and play it.
    After school, He likes playing games using these cabal gold with his friend.
    I do not like to play it. Because I think that it not only costs much money but also spend much time. One day, he give me many cabal money and play the game with me.
    I came to the bar following him and found buy cabal alz was so cheap. After that, I also go to play game with him.

    ReplyDelete
  14. Do you know dofus kama? I like it. My brother often goes to the internet bar to buy kamas and play it. After school, He likes playing games using these cheap kamas with his friend. I do not like to play it. Because I think that it not only costs much money but also spend much time. One day, he give me many dofus gold and play the game with me. I came to the bar following him and found buy dofus kamas was so cheap.

    ReplyDelete
  15. Do you know seal cegel? I like it.
    My brother often go to the internet bar to buy sealonline cegel and play it. After school, He likes playing games using these seal online cegel with his friends. I do not like to play it. Because I think that it not only costs much money but also spend much time. One day, he give me many cheap seal cegeland play the game with me. I came to the bar following him and found buy seal online cegelwas so cheap. After that, I also go to play game with him.

    ReplyDelete
  16. I want give they happy time, twelve sky Gold, I work here with 12sky gold. Though, I can not make much money, twelvesky Gold, But I want to Exercise myself, 12Sky Silver Coins, I get up early 12 sky gold

    ReplyDelete
  17. I always believe the angel is being and 12sky2 Gold . In fact, we all like listening to the songs of milk tea twelve sky2 Gold .
    Generally speaking, I think is her voice very comfortable and mood of the story twelvesky2 Gold , We feel life bit by bit, looking forward the love belonging of the life feelings buy 12sky2 Gold , you will love milk tea like me, let us love her together and play cheap twelve sky2 Gold .

    ReplyDelete
  18. I like holic gold very much. Since I entered into this game, I learnt skills to earn holic money. Thanks to holic online gold let me know a lot of friends. It is my habit to buy holic online money, and I get some cheap holic gold from my friends and Internet.

    ReplyDelete
  19. My friends and I like to buy habbo credits, because the habbo gold is very useful to upgrade equipment. Only your equipment becomes better, then you can win this game. In habbo coins, you can buy everything you want in this game. Tomorrow will be my birthday, so my friends promise to buy habbo gold as gifts. I am so happy. They understand me so well, cheap habbo credits is my favorite.

    ReplyDelete
  20. Remembered the first time I played the game and bought wonderland Gold , it is about two years. Since the first day I bought wonderland online Gold , we should know that the day will come sooner or later. And I will not leave my wonderland money . My friends forever, even though I will leave you one day, I will remember you forever. At that time, I was a naive; I must used money to buy wonderland Gold , as that I would not depend on myself. But I was not regret to buy cheap wonderland online Gold . It is just a way bring me to the success.

    ReplyDelete
  21. To buy shaiya gold , it is not the aim of the shaiya. It is the game which brings a lot of happiness to me. We buy the shaiya money together. The beautiful story, we can not be forgotten, buy shaiya gold . You will not regret to have cheap shaiya gold . So I will continue to have shaiya online gold , it is a beautiful fairy tale, it looks like my life.

    ReplyDelete
  22. Have you heared about 9Dragons which you need use ghost gen to play, and you can also borrow ghost online gen from other players? But you can buy ghost gold, or you will lose the choice if you do not have ghost online gold. If you get ghost money, you can continue this game.

    ReplyDelete
  23. Have you heared about 9Dragons which you need use 9Dragons gold to play, and you can also borrow 9 Dragons gold from other players? But you can buy 9 Dragons gold, or you will lose the choice if you do not have cheap 9Dragons gold. If you get 9Dragons money, you can continue this game.

    ReplyDelete
  24. Have you heared about the game which you need use Anarchy credits to play, and you can also borrow Anarchy Online credits from other players? But you can buy AO credits, or you will lose the choice if you do not have Anarchy online gold. If you get Anarchy gold, you can continue this game.

    ReplyDelete
  25. Pathetic. The market clearly allows "brick-and-mortar" and vans to co-exist right now. Hysterical fears about E. coli are raised by the existence of the "brick-and-mortar" factory farming operations that put the spinach scare into the public in the first place. No one got E. coli from eating carne asada from a van. That MEX restaurants are also behind the ban is even more disgusting.

    What's really mind-boggling is that I used to live in Monterey and, at that time, Salinas was a forgotten town with a dying city center, full of "for lease" signs and sure-to-fail initiatives. No one went there who didn't live there, except on a cultural excursion to see the remnants of Steinbeck's history or to that Brit pub or to experience for half-an-hour what a migrant experiences for decades by pickin'-yer-own vegetables. After that, it was back up Highway 17 to "civilization" on the coast.

    Now, apparently, things are looking up as the city becomes a bedroom community for the South Bay. City leaders are way too arrogrant about their town's prospects, and the Van Ban is one indicator of that.

    They don't know, that in the American cultural pantheon, Salinas remains Salinas, with only three things to show for it to the well-fed American: Steinbeck, lettuce and E. coli.

    None of those relate to having or not having taco vans. Those vendors are innocent.

    ReplyDelete
  26. In my hometown of Redwood City, CA, there was a similar battle between the taco trucks and restaurants about 20 years ago. Somehow it was resolved. The local paper, which I think was the Peninsula Times-Tribune, covered it. Perhaps some intrepid taco truck supporter from Salinas could dig around the archives in RWC and see how it was resolved. It might provide a template to resolve the problem in Salinas. We did a crawl in Salinas years ago and the tacos were stupendous. It would be a shame to see them go.

    ReplyDelete
  27. Melanie

    you've done some great reporting. One of these days I'll have to make my way up to Salinas.

    I'd love to interview one of the salinas taco truck owners for my better know a taquero segment.

    ReplyDelete

 
{nama-blog-anda} is proudly powered by Blogger.com | Template by Agus Ramadhani | o-om.com