Joaquín Baca proposes bill to change downtown Albuquerque food truck rules

City Councilor Joaquín Baca introduced a bill to update downtown Albuquerque mobile vendor regulations. The measure sets clear operating hours and creates a new parking permit system for street vendors. Mobile kitchens draw late night crowds.

Baca said existing city rules cause issues for residents living near commercial corridors. Noise from power generators running late into the night sparks frequent residential complaints.

“Most of the food trucks have already switched to the quiet generators,” said Councilor Baca.

The proposed ordinance requires food trucks to stop serving food at 2 a.m. Baca voiced safety concerns about crowds remaining on downtown streets during early morning hours.

“That’s typically when you have bad things happen after 1 a.m.,” said Councilor Baca.

Truck operators say the mandatory closing time will severely harm their revenue. Shaina Snell owns the food truck Las Chanclitas 2, which operates downtown.

“That’s our peak time,” said Snell. “We’re the busiest at 2 a.m.”

The legislation also alters how vendors secure parking spaces along public curbs. Current city rules distribute street spots on a first-come, first-serve basis.

“The first-come, first-serve has been a little hard for us just because people would leave a car there and it would be there for a week or two weeks,” said Snell.

Baca wants to amend traffic code to establish a formal permit process. Clear guidelines will define where mobile vendors can park in downtown Albuquerque.

“They’ll be able to park in places that’ll help them make more money that they’ve been asking for,” said Councilor Baca.

City council committees review proposed local ordinances before sending them to the full council. Members gather public feedback and debate amendments during regular committee hearings.

The bill has been introduced and is working its way through committee.