Vendor Has Beef About Inspection Rule

A crusading hot dog vendor doesn’t think the county should have carte blanche in its food stand inspection procedures, and he’s taken some of the bite out of the tough new regulations.

Los Angeles County health inspectors have traveled to the San Fernando Valley to inspect Morton S. Diamond’s hot dog cart instead of requiring him to tow his two-wheeled food stand to their downtown headquarters for its annual inspection.

And Diamond has persuaded Supervisor Mike Antonovich to investigate the safety of storing the propane-fueled carts inside county-mandated cart “commissaries” each night.

The downtown inspection policy and enforcement of the commissary rule had been announced last fall by county health officials.

Won’t Bring Tanks Inside

Diamond, who parks his 840-pound cart outside his Canoga Park home at night, contends that it’s unsafe to bring tanks of the highly flammable and explosive propane indoors. He said fire safety codes prohibit the storage of propane inside buildings that lack special ventilation and other safeguards.

County health officials say they require indoor commissaries so that cart food preparation surfaces are kept clean and food is properly stored. They said they have delayed enforcement of the commissary requirement for Diamond for at least 90 days until the safety issue is resolved.

“They came out here to inspect my cart, and that is a victory,” Diamond said Thursday. “They said they’ll inspect carts here whenever we get a group together. At least we got that out of them. But I’ve asked them how they can require carts to go into a commissary where they may blow up. Is that safety?”

Diamond says about 200 hot dog carts that operate in the Valley will benefit from the new county inspection procedures.

He said that all but a handful of those carts operate without the benefit of commissaries. There are about 2,500 licensed food carts in the county.

Antonovich aide Victoria Fouce said she has asked the county Fire Department to investigate Diamond’s safety claim. “If he is correct, he has a legitimate argument. People’s safety is in danger,” Fouce said.

Fire safety experts agreed Thursday that propane is explosive and will cling to the floor if it leaks indoors where there is not proper “air transfer.” But they were uncertain what fire codes directly apply to hot dog carts.

“I’d agree with them that it’s unsafe. I’d rather have it outside than inside,” city Fire Department Inspector Charlie Arnado said of the propane-equipped carts. He said people storing propane indoors in the city are required to have a Fire Department permit.

But county Fire Department Deputy Chief Paul Delaney said five gallons of propane can be stored indoors in unincorporated areas without a permit.

Code Prohibits Storage

Robert Reid, vice president of technical services for Petrolane, a Long Beach propane supply company, said nationally accepted fire codes generally prohibit the storage of propane tanks or cylinders indoors. Propane-powered vehicles can be parked indoors--but not propane-equipped carts, he said.

Richard Wagener, chief county environmental health officer and head of the Health Department’s vehicle inspection program, said his agency is prepared to work with fire officials and building and safety authorities on the propane issue.

“I’m not looking to create a situation where there will be an explosion or fire where people get hurt,” said Wagener, who inspected Diamond’s cart. “We want to make certain the carts are kept clean.”

Diamond, meantime, said he intends to keep pressing the county to relax its hot dog cart rules. “If you lie in the street like a lifeless dog, they’ll sweep you away,” he said.