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Long Beach Looks To Ban Music From Parked Ice Cream Trucks

LONG BEACH (CBSLA.com) — The Long Beach City Council will not put a ban on ice cream trucks, but it will try to regulate how loud they amplify their music.

"It becomes a quality of life issue," Long Beach resident Sam Portillo said. "I don't know anybody that goes looking for a neighborhood to move in to because they have a parade of ice cream trucks."

Resident groups had reportedly complained enough to the council about the loud music playing from the ice cream trucks that the issue was taken under debate.

The discussions resulted in a city ordinance that, if passed, will ban the ice cream truck operators from playing amplified music while the truck is parked.

Nestor Zea, who has sold ice cream in Long Beach for over 20 years, however, says that the music is essential to his business.

"The music is very important to us," Zea said. "Because when we're on the street, the kids, they listen to the music and they get excited. So they tell their mothers, 'hey mom, the ice cream truck is coming.'"

The issue is also raised about how the ordinance may effect the safety of children around the trucks.

"If they stop playing music, then the driver is driving by (and the kids) won't notice there is an ice cream truck and they might hit the kids," Ice cream supplier Bob Bakshi said.

The city attorney now has 30 days to draft the ordinance, which the council will then vote on.

There are currently 66 ice cream trucks that take routes in Long Beach.

 

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