Dean Johnson Comments on ‘Taco Truck' Controversy for LA Times
Dean Kevin R. Johnson commented on the efforts of local governments around the country to regulate "taco trucks," mobile vendors that sell Mexican-American food, for the Los Angeles Times. The vendors have grown in numbers as the Latino population has increased and have at times been viewed as a nuisance, prompting some communities to attempt to regulate or ban them. Dean Johnson said conflicts may arise between established Mexican American citizens who operate restaurants and the taco truck vendors, who tend to be more recent immigrants, and that taco trucks may also become a focus for anti-immigrant sentiment in communities where the Latino population has surged.
"It's hard for me to see how this whole taco truck controversy is separate and apart from the continuing clash of cultures in the U.S.," Dean Johnson said.
Kevin R. Johnson is Dean and Mabie-Apallas Professor of Public Interest Law and Chicana/o Studies at UC Davis School of Law. He is an internationally recognized scholar in the fields of immigration law and policy, refugee law, and civil rights.