Taco truck refuses to say ‘adios’
By: Beth Winegarner
Examiner Staff Writer
December 18, 2008
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| Health concerns prompt ban: The Board of Supervisors approved a law in March 2007 forbiding mobile food vendors from operating within 1,500 feet of public schools. (Cindy Chew/The Examiner) |
SAN FRANCISCO — A taco truck is fighting to remain in its longtime location adjacent to a public high school, despite a city law approved last year that prohibits such vehicles from parking near San Francisco schools.
In September, police revoked El Tonayense’s permit to operate the truck, located on Harrison Street near 19th Street — two blocks from John O’Connell High School.
However, owner Benjamin Santana is appealing the decision, saying his establishment should be grandfathered in because it has been there longer than the school. As a result, the revocation is suspended pending Santana’s appeal hearing Feb. 4, according to a report from police Cmdr. Sylvia Harper.
In response to concerns that catering trucks were offering students items that were less nutritious than those on school cafeteria menus, the Board of Supervisors approved a law in March 2007 banning mobile food vendors from operating within 1,500 feet of public schools.
In July, police contacted vendors and found three violating the rules; two agreed to move, but Santana dug his heels in, according to Harper.
Nutrition advocates say O’Connell students frequent the truck at lunchtime, loading up on high-calorie burritos and bringing back food for classmates. One regular, Robert Bell, said kids pass him dollar bills through the fence to buy Cokes for them.
“If this truck is getting none of its business from O’Connell, why is the owner so reluctant to move?” said Dana Woldow, chair of the nutrition committee for the San Francisco Unified School District.
More teachers than students nosh at El Tonayense, according to Assistant Principal Rick Duber.
“I’m often in the yard by the truck, and very few kids eat there,” Duber said. “It’s kind of expensive for the kids.”
Police identified an alternate location for the El Tonayense, around the corner at 2300 Harrison St., according to Sgt. Wilfred Williams. Santana opposed the move on grounds that he was operating at his current site before O’Connell moved to the neighborhood eight years ago, according to a report from police Capt. Thomas O’Neill.
Santana could not be reached for comment.
Woldow challenged the nutritional value of the food, arguing that O’Connell has some of the worst scores on California physical-
fitness tests — just 22 percent of ninth-graders met all six fitness criteria on the 2007-08 test.
Duber said the food is not that bad.
“Most of it’s actually very healthy,” Duber said. “Much more so than McDonald’s or KFC.”
What’s for lunch?
Nutrition standards for food served at San Francisco’s public schools are intended to offer students healthy alternatives to eating off campus.
- Allowable foods can have no more than 30 percent of calories from fat, no more than 10 percent from saturated fat.
- Allowable foods can contain no more than 35 percent sugar by weight.
- Snacks and side dishes should contain at least 5 percent of the recommended daily intake for eight essential nutrients: protein, iron, calcium, vitamin A, vitamin C, thiamin, niacin and riboflavin.
- Limits set on portion sizes.
Source: SFUSD
