Point Dume food truck sweep finds zero valid licenses

Food trucks parked on the side of roads in the Point Dume area have been cited for operating without business licenses and violating other rules.

The trucks have always been a presence in Malibu, drawing complaints from some residents about daily crowds, trash from customers, and parking and traffic issues. But workers rely on them, as do Malibu residents. And there is a state law that prohibits cities from banning them.

Mobile food trucks must hold valid public health and county business permits. They must meet specific equipment and commissary standards, and follow safe food-handling rules. They have to have running water from storage tanks and water disposal holding tanks.

Ten days ago, a task force of sheriff's deputies, zoning inspectors and county health officials conducted a sweep of the city. Not one food truck had a valid county business license. There were sanitary standards being violated.

Since then, some of the truck operators have been playing cat and mouse with Malibu officials. They have been chased away from streets like Cavaleri Road, Winding Way, Dume Drive and — most particularly — Kanan Dume Road.

But Malibu does not have any specific guidelines about where they can operate safely. And some of the same operators have been caught selling food to hungry construction workers out of their private vehicles.

The construction crews working in Malibu need to eat, and city officials say they do not want to put the vendors out of business. And as we said, state law protects the food vendors.

City officials say they are working with the food trucks to bring them up to date on regulations about health codes and parking rules.