Winning Legal Battles One Tostada At A Time

Last night I attended a community forum put on by a group of taco truck operators in East Los Angeles. The group calls itself "La Asociación de Loncheros L.A. Familia Unida de CA." The forum was part food festival. Free fare was reason enough to come. I helped myself to seafood tostadas served up by "Mariscos Coliman," a truck that regularly does business on East Manchester between Juniper and Alameda, in an unincorporated part of LA county just west of South Gate. With plenty of lime juice, green onion, and just the right amount of tomatillo sauce, the tostadas were delicious.

The forum was about more than just giving away food. It was also about raising awareness of the positive contribution taco trucks make to our community and others across the state of California. Earlier this year, the County of Los Angeles tried to implement a new ordinance tough prohibitions against the operation of taco trucks. Fortunately, when the county sought to enforce it, the superior court of Los Angeles held the prohibitory ordinance to be invalid. One hopes that the County has seen the light and will let the trucks operate in peace, but one can't rely on hope alone.

The forum was also an effort by taco truck operators to win not only the stomachs of their neighbors, but also their hearts and minds. Operators gave testimonials about their work to the hundreds assembled, making the point that they are good people providing a good service to the community. Restaurateurs should have nothing to fear. Restaurants provide a completely different dining experience. Sometimes you want to sit at a table inside. Other times you want to eat outside on the sidewalk. Restaurants and trucks fish in different ponds, so to speak.

By organizing at the grass roots level, the taco truck association stands a good chance of winning over the people. With the people on their side, the County would be hard pressed to try once again to put the trucks out of business. Legal battles are not always fought in the courtroom. Sometimes they're won in a non-descript parking lot, where a neighborhood has come together.

The forum was caught by KMEX, a Los Angeles affiliate of Univision, and broadcast on the 11 o'clock news. If you saw a guy in suit being interviewed between bites of carne asada, please forgive him for speaking with food in his mouth. That was me. Sometimes my enthusiasm gets in the way of good manners!

For more information about the association, email asociacionlonchera@hotmail.com.