OAKLAND, CA – The Oakland City Council showed its support for food trucks Tuesday when it approved modified ordinances reducing daily site operation fees from $100 to $50 and extending the program which allows group mobile food vending to July 2013.

Since January 2012, the city has allowed food trucks to do business along public streets provided that at least three trucks form a cluster together on a single, temporary site. Prior to that, food trucks were only permitted on private property.

Contrary to initial expectations, the majority of the food vending sites have materialized in and around the downtown area, with five out of seven located within a half-mile radius from City Hall. At the time of the program’s introduction, it was hoped that it might help restore active street life to areas of the city where parking lots dominate the landscape.

According to vendors and their supporters, the appearance of the trucks has contributed improvements in neighborhood vitality, additions to the city’s culinary and cultural offerings, and new opportunities for small business owners.

Opposition to the food truck program has come mainly from the owners of nearby restaurants, who voice concerns over the effects of street vending on their business.

Find the entire article by Carsten Rodin at Oakland Local <here>