HomeMy WebLinkAbout1864 ORDINANCE NO. 1864
AN INTERIM URGENCY ORDINANCE OF THE CITY OF
PALM SPRINGS, CALIFORNIA, PROHIBITING VENDING
FROM MOBILE FOOD VEHICLES IN THE CITY, SUBJECT
TO CERTAIN EXCEPTIONS, UNTIL
DECEMBER 31 , 2015.
City Attorney Summary
The City does not have a regulatory program for mobile food vehicles in
the City. Riverside County's restrictive health regulation of mobile food
vehicles substantially ameliorated the need for the City to adopt a
separate regulatory program. The County's recently adopted regulations
that allow mobile food vehicles to prepare food in the vehicle will
become effective on April 8, 2014. It is anticipated that the City will
experience a large influx of County permitted mobile food vehicles that
could commence operation on virtually any street in the City to the
potential endangerment of motorists, pedestrians, and bicyclists, and
the creation of visual blight and potential economic hardship on
permanent food and beverage establishments in the City. This
Ordinance will impose an interim, temporary prohibition on the
operation of these vehicles within the City, subject to certain exceptions,
for six months to allow the City sufficient time to consider and adopt
appropriate and necessary time, place, and manner restrictions for
mobile food vehicles in the City.
THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PALM SPRINGS, CALIFORNIA, FINDS:
A. The City is responsible for providing appropriate and necessary time,
place, and manner restrictions on commercial activities in the City.
B. The County of Riverside has recently adopted a less restrictive mobile
food vending regulatory program that will go into effect on April 8, 2014, that will
essentially allow vehicles with full-fledge kitchens to prepare and dispense food at
virtually any location within the City.
C. Without a regulatory program in place, mobile food vehicles could locate on
any street in the City, at any time, without regard to vehicular or pedestrian traffic,
creation of potential congestion, disruption or interference with school activities or
causing attractive nuisances to children going to and from school, and the
substantial detraction and adverse economic effect of established restaurants in
the City.
D. The consideration, adoption, and implementation of a comprehensive
regulatory program for mobile food vehicles is necessary to balance the potential
Ordinance No. 1864
Page 2
adverse effects that could be caused by mobile food vehicles and the potential
benefits the community could derive from improving public access to the culinary
diversity such vehicles could provide.
THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PALM SPRINGS, CALIFORNIA,
ORDAINS:
SECTION 1. Vending from a Mobile Food Vehicle is prohibited in the City
and no person shall vend food from a Mobile Food Vehicle in the City.
SECTION 2. For the purpose of this Ordinance: the term "Mobile Food Vehicle"
means any Category 3, 4, or 5 Mobile Food Facility as identified in Ordinance No. 580.5 of
the County of Riverside and currently registered, licensed, and permitted by the County
to operate as a Mobile Food Facility; the term "Food" means any item intended primarily
for consumption by human beings; and the term "vend" or "vending" means the sale,
distribution, ordispensing of Food.
SECTION 3. The following are exempted from this Ordinance:
A. A Food cart permitted by land use permits issued by the City.
B. A Mobile Food Vehicle operating on a street subject to all of the
following restrictions:
1. Parked more than One Thousand, Five Hundred (1,500) feet from the
property line of any school property that serves students younger than
18 years of age.
2. The posted speed limit is thirty-five miles per hour or less.
3. Parked in full compliance with the provisions of the Palm Springs
Municipal Code and the California Vehicle Code.
4. The vehicle is only open to prospective customers on the side of
the vehicle next to a sidewalk.
5. Parked more than one thousand feet of any eating and drinking
establishment unless the vehicle is associated with a certified farmer's
market that is open at the time the vehicle is conducting business or at
a special event approved by the City.
6. Operate only between the hours of 9:00 am and 7:00 p.m.
Ordinance No. 1864
Page 3
SECTION 4. The Mayor shall sign and the City Clerk shall certify to the
passage and adoption of this Ordinance and shall cause the same, or the summary
thereof,to be published and posted pursuant to the provisions of law.
SECTION 5. Findings. The adoption of this Urgency Ordinance is necessary
for the immediate protection of the public peace, health, and safety by ensuring the timely
and orderly consideration, adoption, and implementation of an appropriate and
comprehensive regulatory program for mobile food vehicles in the City. In accordance
with Section 312 of the Palm Springs City Charter, the City Council of the City of Palm
Springs finds and determines that the adoption of this Urgency Ordinance is necessary
to ensure the timely approval of a mobile food vehicle ordinance and for the timely
implementation of a new mobile food regulatory program for the immediate protection
of the public peace, health, and safety.
SECTION 6. Effective Date. The City Council hereby declares, on the basis
of the findings set forth in the Recitals and in Section 5 above, that an urgency
ordinance is warranted and that this Ordinance is necessary to preserve the public
peace, health and safety. Accordingly, this Ordinance is adopted as an urgency
ordinance and shall take effect and be in force immediately upon its adoption. This
Ordinance shall expire on December 31 , 2015, unless otherwise extended by action
of the City Council prior to such date.
PASSED, APPROVED, AND ADOPTED BY THE PALM SPRINGS CITY
COUNCIL THIS 3rd DAY OF DECEMBER, 2014.
STEPH N P. POUGNE , MAYOR
ATTEST:
AMES THOMPSON, CITY CLERK
Ordinance No. 1864
Page 4
CERTIFICATION
STATE OF CALIFORNIA )
COUNTY OF RIVERSIDE ) ss.
CITY OF PALM SPRINGS )
I, JAMES THOMPSON, City Clerk of the City of Palm Springs, hereby certify that
Urgency Ordinance No. 1864 is a full, true and correct copy, and was adopted at a
regular meeting of the Palm Springs City Council on the 3rd day of December, 2014, by
the following vote:
AYES: Councilmember Foat, Councilmember Lewin, Councilmember Mills,
Mayor Pro Tern Hutcheson, and Mayor Pougnet.
NOES: None.
ABSENT: None.
ABSTAIN: None.
MES THOMPSON, CITY CLERK
City of Palm Springs, California I S f Ze iA4