Local businesses want to push a food truck out of East Salinas neighborhood

SALINAS, Calif. (KION) - The owners of the food truck say they have been dealing with this for over a month and have tried to reach out to the city for help.

A cherished family-owned business called Tacos el Chapparito sprung up in Salinas two years ago on the corner of Del Monte Avenue and Towt Street.

"My father and my mother feel more happy because it's more income," said Maria Mendoza, the daughter of the owner of Tacos el Chaparrito

They were first located in South Salinas but then moved in July to this spot in East Salinas.

"He feels very happy on this area. But in one way, you know, he feels bad and he feel sad that, you know, the city is telling him to move just because people from around don't want him in here," said Mendoza.

Now, they no longer feel safe in the area they have called home for so many years.

"He found, you know, stuff on the parking lot like eggs, you know, sand, dirty trash just because the people are around don't want him," said Mendoza.

This business was not easy to start and took a lot of sacrifices, which is why they feel this controversy is robbing them of their dream.

"They decided to move in here on that side, they painted the spot. they give him the number. he's been paying taxes, he's been paying for me. you know, he's been paying for everything. and it's not fair then now he wants is they want him to be moved just because the people around them want him," said Mendoza.

I spoke to a neighboring business who brought up the issue. They say they have contacted city officials to try to get them moved somewhere else.

The email to city officials says in part, "I realized that the City of Salinas was doing something that would impact my and my tenants’ business, the city was giving a food truck permission to be stationed without ever having to go out of the way to practice the common courtesy of informing, involving, and engaging with us, me and my tenant, two business owners in this city’s small businesses community."

Business owners say they have been impacted ever since the food truck was stationed here on July 14th.

"He's not hurting anybody, he is just feeding people from the field, from the agriculture. He has got a lot of signs from his customers that he wouldn't want him to leave," said Mendoza.

The business across from the food truck says the city never informed them a food truck would be stationed right in front of them.