Sunland-Tujunga Launches Food Truck Fest; Spurs Local Debate; Area Restauranteur Comes Out Swinging in Defense of the Event

Joselito's Mexican Food

Recently, the issue of food trucks, one that often stirs strong emotions on both sides of the fence in the City of Angels, has made it's most recent venue that of the idyllic foothill community of Sunland-Tujunga.

About a month ago, leaders from the local chamber of commerce organized and launched a weekly Wednesday night food truck fest that from all appearances seems to have taken off like wildfire. The number of trucks participating has quickly doubled and participant estimates are nearing 5000 diners or more.

Despite the popularity with the local rank and file, a portion of the business community and other activists have had a near visceral reaction to the event, sparking weeks of wars on local Facebook pages. Newly re-assigned City Councilman Richard Alarcon, at a "meet and greet" even held on Tuesday evening has pledged to review the issue as it is Alarcon's fear the food trucks are "dividing the community." A more reasoned position may be that the food trucks are dividing the Facebook community, but we digress...

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BREAKING: Food Trucks and Politics - Dinner Time GOTV for Box!

If Stephen Box pushes veteran Tom LaBonge into a run-off tonight; it may be because of the Food Trucks.

Bottom line is this - old school Tom HATES the food trucks and has tried to make their lives miserable. Stephen Box has been quite supportive on the other hand and has earned massive support from the trucks and their foodie fans.  Box has even organized meet-ups of trucks and voters that have been quite successful.

Something interesting is happening right now - in a scene perhaps reminiscent of Egypt the downtrodden masses are using social media to turf out a decades in power dictator.  Twitter is abuzz with food truck operators and fans tweeting out the vote for Box.  

Developing.

Stephen Box Food Truck Festival

Cross-posted from our sister blog, Downtown NoHo Times.

CD4 Council Candidate Stephen Box held a food truck festival in the NoHo Arts District Sunday.  Food truck operators are generally supporting Box as incumbent Tom LaBonge has been essentially hostile towards the popular businesses.  A number of locals turned out to meet with Box and sample fare from a variety of trucks.

The candidate spreads his message.

 More pics after the jump
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Los Angeles Politics Hotsheet for Thursday

Templum Maximum Ego Antonovichus
aka Antelope Valley Courthouse

In an effort to provide more jobs for City workers, the City of Los Angeles took over management January 1st of rental golf carts at City owned golf courses. You might be able to guess what happened the first day: no one remembered to plug the carts in and charge them.  Lots of unhappy golfers!

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Los Angeles Politics Hotsheet for Tuesday

Are they gay?

Bad news for Mayor Villaraigosa.  Many thought that his consolation prize for not running for Governor of California was that he could replace Dianne Feinstein as US Senator when she was to retire in 2012.  Oops. DiFi may not be retiring.

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Los Angeles Politics Hotsheet for Wednesday

Gloria Allred to take over for Heath Ledger in next Batman movie.

When the liberal blogs are questioning what's behind the Gloria Allred-Jerry Brown attempt to smear Meg Whitman you know that there's more than a whiff of scandal in the air.  Gloria Allred, who probably loves the camera even more than Antonio Villaraigosa, holds another press conference with a newly made over Nicky Cruz who is fresh off reports of a big payoff.  Were Gloria not an attention-whore and a longtime Democratic Party activist she would have referred Cruz to an immigration/labor attorney who would have handled Cruz's case privately and ethically without the attendant Super Glo circus. The way this has unfolded with Glo's patented staged press conferences and shrill cable TV appearances clearly indicates this a coordinated effort to boost the Brown campaign.

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Los Angeles Politics Hotsheet for Wednesday

Fans in the Foothills are looking forward to a second act for Paul Krekorian in next year's election.  Except Lakeview Terrace activist Kristin Sabo who isn't yet convinced that Krekorian will fight creep from the CRA into the North Valley locale.

The bacon truck is the next big thing.  Not sure what Hamburger Jan Perry thinks of them rolling through South Central.  She's more concerned with imposing a nanny state on South Central LA where hamburgers are more dangerous than bullets.

Everyone is aghast at public pensions these days.  Meg Whitman has a great idea as she wants to put these pensions on the ballot for the people to chop up.  As opposed to Jerry Brown who want to put pensions on the state credit card.

Phil Jennerjahn has some fuzzy math on Tom LeBong's pension.  Still his overall premise that this guy shouldn't retire in luxury on the public dime is correct.

Los Angeles Politics Hotsheet for Tuesday

Well, well, well.  Guess who spent $50 million to save $13 million? Nope not the DWP.  Nope, not Tom LaBonge. You're incorrect if you said Kim Kardashian. Give up? Your Los Angeles MTA spent that amount to install turnstiles at it's subway and light rail stations - except it currently can not issue the fare media the gates require and can not be locked.




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Los Angeles Politics Hotsheet for Thursday

Mulholland Terrace brings to our attention perhaps a poor employment decision made by Councilman Bill Rosendahl in the hiring of new spokes-hole Jon Fairbanks, an import from Canada.  As MT notes could Rosendahl not find a gay publicist in all of Los Angeles? More of concern is the audit trail of stories written by Fairbanks, a scribe out of Quebec, who blogs about "Anglophone bitches" and desiring to keep those women who like to party with gay men out of the bars.

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