Food Truck Friday Event in Peril Again

Friday night's food truck event may end up being the last time Altadena residents will line up for grilled cheese, shrimp, and more goodies at the monthly , as the organizers temporary permit has now expired.

Meredith Miller, of , said that she and the other organizers want to keep the event going, but have been told they will need to apply for yet another permit, this one covering five more events.

The event last ran into trouble in February, when Miller and her partner in the event, Lori Webster, found out they would need to apply for a permit to keep the event going.  They got a temporary operating permit in March to last through September.

Now, Miller said, the county is asking her to meet new requirements not previously asked, including canvassing all neighbors within 500 feet of the event site through the mail to find out what objections they may have to the food truck event.  They will also need to fill out all their paperwork again from scratch, she said.

The permit would cost $192 for 5 months, which might not be as prohibitive as the time it will take to actually fulfill the county permit requirements, Miller said.

"You know, we also have a business to run," Miller told Altadena Patch Saturday. She noted that neither she nor Webster directly profit from the event.

She said next month's event is up in the air.  Another option could be to bring it back in the Spring, she said.

She noted that Food Truck Friday is gaining in popularity and said she receives unsolicited emails from food truck vendors all the time asking to be part of it.

So what can Altadenans who love the event do to help?  Miller said the best thing she can think of is for people to write County Supervisor Michael Antonovich and ask him to help expedite the county requirements and let him know that people in the community do value the event.

Those interested can write Antonovich's district representative Sussy Nemer at (626) 356-5407 or via email at snemer@bos.co.la.ca.us.  Antonovich's spokesman and office manager Tony Bell can be reached at 213-974-5555 or tbell@bos.co.la.ca.us.  Antonovich's official email contact can be found here.

Other county permit trouble stories:

Coffee Gallery Fundraiser Nets Enough to Pay for Permit

County Backs Down on Patticakes Mural

Altadena Urban Farmer's Market Gets Permit for May 29 Event

Danny's Farm Owners Not Giving Up on Goal of Helping Autistic Kids