PRESS RELEASE

Long Beach, CA – The City of Long Beach is in the final developmental stages of updating the Long Beach Municipal Codes (LBMC) for food truck operations and is concurrently working towards establishing a Food Truck Program that will streamline procedures, ensure regulatory compliance from food truck operators, and allow for a better and more streamlined enforcement of food truck operations in Long Beach. Community members are encouraged to provide their inputof the recommended updates at a virtual townhall on Tuesday, March 1, at 5:15 p.m.  

Currently there are various sections of the LBMC that address food truck regulations and procedures in Long Beach. As a result of the relatively recent and rapid growth of the food truck industry, California’s overall legal framework has shifted to address specific regulatory issues that have arisen at the local level. To ensure optimal compliance with State regulations and in effort to implement best practices locally, the City contracted with consulting firm Lisa Wise Consulting (LWC) to conduct a review of the City's existing practices and provide recommendations for change, including the revision of certain municipal codes and the establishment of an enforceable, trackable comprehensive Food Truck Program. 

LWC recommends establishing one section within the LBMC that will contain all food truck regulations. New regulations could include a permit for operating within the right of way and establishment of designated food truck operating zones and times of operations.  

The virtual townhall will include a presentation by City staff and representatives from LWC to discuss the findings and recommendations for paths for compliance and enforcement. The recommendations to be presented at the townhall account for local conditions, national best practices, and input from food truck operators, business owners, neighborhood groups, appointed and elected officials, and other community members.There will be an opportunity for public comment at the conclusion of the presentation.  

The virtual townhall will take place at 5:15 p.m. on March 1 via Zoom. Interpretation services in Spanish, Khmer, and Tagalog will be made available.  

Previous community outreach included the creation of a Food Truck Ordinance Committee and a survey, conducted by LWC, of City employees in departments that regulate food trucks to see what opportunities there were with the current regulatory tools within the LBMC. LWC then conducted six targeted panel interviews with stakeholders who would be impacted by an ordinance update including truck operators, local businesses, resident associations and business improvement districts. 

Proposed updates to the LBMCand proposal of the Food Truck Program will be presented to the Long Beach City Council for consideration in late spring 2022.

Media inquiries may be directed to Joy Contreras, Community Information Officer, Department of Public Works, at Joy.Contreras@longbeach.gov or 562.570.6739.