New Dispute Brewing Over Oxnard Alley

For the past three years, two neighboring businesses have been fighting a quiet war over a popular taco stand in an alley surrounded by a Mexican market in downtown Oxnard.

But just as one of the businessmen quit and the differences were resolved, the city’s redevelopment director has proposed a plan that could keep the taco controversy continuing indefinitely.

This afternoon Steven L. Kinney plans to ask the City Council, acting as the city Redevelopment Agency, to clear the way for the city’s purchase of the alley.

The agency will vote on a proposed declaration stating that buying the alley would not cause environmental problems, the first step before the purchase can be completed.

The alley, 130 feet long by 20 feet wide, is situated across Enterprise Street from the Oxnard Transportation Center, adjoining La Gloria Market’s two stores.

The front part of the alley also abuts El Tesoro Escondido, a small, general merchandise store owned by Eddie Khalil, who runs a taco stand called El Taquero in the alley.

Khalil initially had few problems when he opened his business five years ago, but that was when he was serving regular sandwiches and had not yet expanded his menu to include tacos.

The war began about three years ago after La Gloria opened--attracting a large Mexican clientele from south Oxnard and nearby La Colonia--and obtained exclusive rights to sell Mexican food at the market center about the same time Khalil opened his taco stand.

Khalil’s decision to open El Taquero drew fire from La Gloria’s former manager, Enrique Ibarra, who had just finished making improvements to the alley to improve access to the market.

Since the taco stand opened, the alley has been partitioned in half, with El Taquero occupying the alley front, and La Gloria’s outdoor restaurant in the back.

For months, city officials tried to get the two businessmen to reach an agreement on how to use the alley, but all attempts failed. Then in September, city officials decided to purchase the alley so the city could decide who gets to use it and how.

That course of action appeared necessary as long as Ibarra and Khalil were at odds. But in December, Ibarra unexpectedly resigned and La Gloria’s management was taken over by Gabriel Quiroz, who has made it clear that he doesn’t care if Khalil sells tacos.

“I think the entire dispute was based on personal problems” between Khalil and Ibarra, Quiroz said. He said he sees no need for the city to buy the alley.

Khalil doesn’t see any need for the city to intervene, either. And he sees the city’s insistence on buying the alley as a ploy to eventually close the taco stand.

The city’s objective is to make sure that La Gloria Market--one of its most successful redevelopment projects in terms of attracting pedestrian traffic to downtown--also succeeds as a financial venture, the taco stand operator said.

“It’s all political. The Redevelopment Agency is trying to close me down because it doesn’t want the market to have any competition,” Khalil said Monday. “We sell three tacos for $2--cheapest price in all of Oxnard.”

For his part, Kinney said that in pursuing the alley purchase he only has the city’s best interests at heart.

“If in fact both parties agree to the current use of the alley, there is no immediate motivation for the city to go ahead with the purchase. But the alley is not being utilized in the best possible way, and that in itself is reason enough for the city to buy the alley,” Kinney said.

“The alley could be made more visually appealing,” he added.

Kinney denied that he wants to close the taco stand, although he did say that El Taquero might be violating zoning provisions and is thus subject to being removed.

“There’s no question that we want La Gloria Market to succeed. But I don’t think the taco stand is a fatal threat to the market,” Kinney said.

Khalil said Kinney is obsessed with the issue because he’s been involved with the alley problem for so long.

“We’ve solved our problem here, but Kinney just can’t let go,” he said.