ALAMEDA, CA – The City Council has given the green light to food trucks, changing the city’s municipal code will comply with state law to allow the vendors to operate on the Island. But the council also wants to revisit the issue within a year to check how the new policy is working out.

Among the places where the popular food truck “gatherings” may take place are Alameda Point, the College of Alameda, the Harbor Bay Business Park and at Alameda South Shore Center, according to the proposal that the council backed unanimously on Tuesday.

While some restaurant owners said allowing the trucks will undermine business, Mayor Marie Gilmore said she believes the change will actually make it more difficult for the trucks to operate on the Island since they now must meet city requirements.

“I think the trucks are a good thing,” said Amanda Dauber, a 24-year-old Alameda resident. “They offer a variety of foods and they bring people to a neighborhood, which can help businesses nearby, especially those businesses that are not restaurants and may be struggling right now.”

Councilmember Beverly Johnson said, however, that she does not expect to see an influx of the trucks anytime soon. Since state law already allows them to set up on any public street — as long as the vendor meets local safety requirements — “they would have done it already,” Johnson said.

The goal of changing the municipal code is to make it comply with state law, Deputy City Manager Jennifer Ott said.

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