Ms. Lappin's Form Letter Outlining Her Reasons to Hurt Small Businesses

I got this email just a few minutes ago.

Mr. Cutler,

Thank you for your email in opposition to Introduction 272, a bill which would change the city enforces feeding the meter and idling regulations on mobile food vendors. Food vending trucks are part of our city’s food landscape. I hope that they will remain that way. But they are not exempt from the laws that are already on our books.

My bill does not ban food trucks, but changes the way we enforce two key illegal acts: 1) idling for more than 3 minutes, which pollutes our air; and 2) feeding parking meters. Food trucks have a license to operate as a mobile business. That means, by definition, they are required to be mobile. That’s what they agreed to when they got the permit in the first place. There are trucks that now take a parking spot and use it to vend all day long. They take the same space every day for hours on end. That isn’t legal and it isn’t right.

The city streets belong to the public, not to any one business owner. Food trucks can park somewhere for an hour or two, depending on the regulations, and still sell their wares. They can use twitter and blogs to communicate with their customers. But they are not allowed to take over a parking spot forever for their own use.

Unfortunately, some mobile vendors are doing just that and view tickets as a cost of doing business. My bill seeks to change that.

I’m sorry we could not agree on this issue. Please feel free to contact me should you have additional questions or concerns.

Sincerely,

Jessica Lappin