REPORT TO COUNCIL
SUBJECT
Title
Follow-up to Question Posed at the October 22, 2019 Special City Council meeting in Regards to Mobile Food Truck Permitting
Report
BACKGROUND
At the October 22, 2019 Special City Council meeting, a question was posed from a member the public to the Council regarding the necessity of food truck employees to be fingerprinted. In turn, the Police Department has prepared an Informational Report in response to the inquiry.
DISCUSSION
The Santa Clara Police Department's Permits Unit provides oversight of businesses regulated by city, state and federal laws, including, but not limited to, mobile food and ice cream trucks. The Permit's Unit accepts applications, conducts the appropriate background checks, issues permits to businesses complying with the set forth regulations, confirms a Santa Clara County Health Department permit is on file, facilitates annual renewals, and investigates complaints against the regulated businesses to confirm full compliance with all the appropriate laws and regulations. Santa Clara Municipal Code Section 5.05.050 (Fingerprints required) states that at the time of filing an applicant shall be fingerprinted with a record of such filed in the Police Department bureau of identification.
Currently, there are 33 mobile food and 2 ice cream trucks with valid permits in our city. In recent months, the Water Department (Santa Clara Works) and Parks and Recreation Department (4th of July All-City Picnic) have utilized permitted mobile food trucks at city events. A list of permitted mobile food trucks is available to city staff and the public by contacting the Permits Unit.
Chapter 5.05 of "The Code of the City of Santa Clara, California" ("SCCC"), titled Solicitors and Peddlers, sets forth the regulations for motor vehicle-based and mobile unit peddlers, such as mobile food and ice cream trucks. The section of the code is authored to protect against criminal activity, minimize an unwelcome disturbance to citize...
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