I love food trucks but they still need to follow the rules

I am a restaurant owner and I also happen to love street food.Some of the best food in America comes from taco stands, food carts, trucks and tiny independent operators.

I started my restaurant venture with a single food truck in 2011 and have since opened dozens of restaurants.I want entrepreneurs to succeed, whether they’re starting with a folding table and a grill or signing a lease on a 4,000-square-foot restaurant.

But Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass’ decision directing LAPD to stop issuing criminal citations to street vendors highlights a much bigger problem with how California treats small businesses.California leaders always present two sets of rules for two different groups of people, depending on whose vote they want.If you open a restaurant, you enter a regulatory obstacle course before serving your first customer.California's top news, sports and entertainment delivered to your inbox every day.

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Never miss a story Then you pay for rent, insurance, business license fees and health permits.Your kitchen must meet building, fire and health codes.

You need approved refrigeration, handwashing facilities, plumbing, grease disposal, restrooms and food-storage systems.Then layer in workers’ compensation, payroll taxes and minimum wages.

Now add the inspections, the frivolous violations that force new inspections and the inevitable delays because of the bureaucracy.If you don’t follow those rules, the government doesn’t generally shrug and say you’re simply trying to make a living.They cite you, fine you and try and shut you down.

That’s what makes this debate so frustrating for restaurant owners.The issue isn’t whether street vendors work hard or whether street vending is “part of LA culture” — the question is much simpler: Why should two people selling prepared food to the same customer...