OXNARD : City Drops Plan to Purchase Alley

The city of Oxnard has dropped a plan to buy a private downtown alley that is surrounded by La Gloria market after representatives from the market and a taco stand that operates from the alley said the businesses were no longer feuding.

The City Council was scheduled to vote Tuesday on a motion to begin the purchase process, but council members voted unanimously to drop the proposal after they went into a closed session to discuss the matter.

The council’s decision comes in the wake of a three-year battle between the former manager of the market and taco stand owner Eddie Khalil over Khalil’s right to sell tacos from the alley.

The city had decided in September to buy the alley to mediate in a feud involving the two businesses. But after Enrique Ibarra resigned unexpectedly in December as manager of La Gloria, new manager Gabriel Quiroz said he was willing to work with Khalil.

“I don’t have a problem with Khalil selling whatever he wants to sell,” Quiroz said, adding that he would have liked the city to have bought the alley.

Khalil, who attended the council meeting and applauded the council’s decision to drop the purchase plan, had said the city was trying to close down his taco stand because it wanted to protect La Gloria’s taco business.

But the council dropped the plan altogether Tuesday.

“I don’t believe the city should be in the middle of a dispute between two businessmen,” said Councilman Michael Plisky said.