Mayor Landrieu Vetoes the Food Truck Law... Sigh

Mitch Landrieu has vetoed the food truck ordinance that city council passed last month, Richard Rainey of the Times-Pic reports. The Mayor calls the ordinance unconstitutional and suggests that it "did not go far enough in liberalizing a provision intended to protect brick-and-mortar restaurants from competition by food trucks," and that the ordinance in its current form would most likely not stand up to any legal challenge.

Stacy Head has already stated that she hopes food truck supporters file a legal challenge to the 'egregious' and 'unconstitutional' provisions that were passed in her proposal. The New Orleans Food Truck Coalition have previously expressed that parts of the ordinance seemed unconstitutional? read about the long journey to deregulation here?with one of the main issues being a limitation on where trucks can park, as to help "protect" brick and mortar restaurants.

NOFTC prez/owner of La Cocinita food truck Rachel Billow tells WGNO's Vanessa Bolano that she is bit frustrated and confused, as her organization New Orleans Food Truck Coalition worked with the mayor's office for months, and never heard any problems from Landrieu until the veto. "I guess we celebrated a bit early," Billow says.

The Mayor has yet to respond to questions about what provisions he finds unconstitutional. The Times-Pic reports that the ordinance can be reintroduced in City Council, where five votes could overturn Landrieu's veto. Check out Mayor Landrieu's entire veto letter at the Gambit, and yes, that is Ian McNulty in the WGNO clip, enjoying himself some empanada.

· Mayor Mitch Landrieu Vetoes Food Truck Ordinance [Gambit]
· Mayor Landrieu Vetoes Food Truck Law, Says It Would Not Stand Up in Court [NOLA.com]
· Mayor Landrieu Vetoes Food Truck Ordinance [WGNO]
· All Food Truck Coverage [-ENOLA-]