The Gold Watch

J. Gold Counters Koretz and LaBonge on Food Truck Motion

Photo: Hadley Tomicki

“LaBonge and Koretz must not win. Let a thousand food trucks roll,” writes L.A. Weekly critic Jonathan Gold in an op-ed for the L.A. Times yesterday, defying local politicians who seek to legislate food trucks from our streets. Like the many voices who rose against Gloria Molina when she tried to take away our loncheros in 2008, Gold asserts that food trucks, although present in many cities, “somehow define the landscape best here” and are a continuation of a “restless” city famous for establishing drive-ins and “dine and dash coffee shops.” When it comes to money, the Pulitzer Prize winner thinks food trucks are “creative, entry-level capitalism at its finest.” However, he does concede one point.

While these mobile caterers are financially stimulating as a tourist attraction and great for improving “food deserts” throughout L.A., they are “undoubtedly” skimming profits away from the eateries they park next to. But Gold makes clear that it’s not your Kyochons, Guelaguetzas, or Gjelinas taking the hit. He clarifies that food trucks have stiffened competition primarily “in areas where those restaurants tend to be both expensive and mediocre. Great cooking always wins out.” Koretz and LaBonge’s motion will have its day in court in mid-October. It’s comforting to know there’s a five-star general now fighting on the other side.

Food trucks, an L.A. staple worth saving [L.A. Times]
Earlier: Street Truck Fans Back Paul Koretz Into a Defensive Crouch [Grub Street]
Museum Square Employee Assaults Mid-Wilshire Food Truck Supporter [Grub Street]

J. Gold Counters Koretz and LaBonge on Food Truck Motion