SALINAS, Calif. -- Traveling food trucks and vendors are a popular way to get a meal, when you're in a rush. On Monday, Santa Cruz Assemblyman Bill Monning said he wants to limit where they can sell you food, near your child's school.
"It's undermining the efforts to try and reverse these trends of preventable diabetes. 30 percent of Latino kids in the state of California will have preventable diabetes by the age of 30, 50 percent by the age of 50," said State Assemblyman Bill Monning
The new bill would keep vendors 1500 feet away from schools. That's equivalent to 5 football fields. Supporters argue mobile vendors carry sugary drinks, potato chips, and fried foods. One vendor in Salinas said he's not too happy about the plan to keep him away from schools. Martin Dominguez said it's how he makes his living.
"If the parents don't want to buy it for them, they don't have to, it's their money. With the head on the crisis, everyone make decision," said Martin Domingez.
Parents we talked to at a Salinas Park agree.
"I think it's really up to the parents, because they're the ones that provide the money for the kids to be able to buy from the vendors. It's up to the parents to provide healthy foods, if they want them to have healthy snacks they should send them to school with them," said Melissa Michael, parent.
The bill would keep trucks away from all K-12 schools any day school's in session from 6am to 6pm. There's already a similar law in the city of Santa Cruz, but it only keeps vendors 300 feet away.
