Talk Back: Is tinkling ice cream music a nuisance?

The tunes coming from Long Beach’s ice cream trucks may soon melt away, as the city moves closer to enforcing noise restrictions on vendors.

The City Council unanimously voted on a measure that would require ice cream truck vendors to comply with the noise ordinance and prohibit them from playing music while serving customers, The Times’ Ruben Vives reported.

Is a noise restriction the right move or is it a sign of the end of the ice cream man?

For residents who have long complained about the noise, the proposed ordinance is music to their ears.

Sam Portillo said he moved into the Wrigley neighborhood area seven years ago. Since then, he said, the number of ice cream trucks selling in the neighborhood has climbed, adding to the noise that neighborhood residents are forced to hear.

“It has definitely affected my quality of life for years, and I am thankful that something is being proposed to address the problem,” Portillo said.

Several vendors said they understand how residents feel. Some have already begun turning off their iconic songs after receiving complaints.

Councilman Dee Andrews introduced the measure after years of complaints from residents in his district, which includes the Sunrise, Whittier, Wrigley and South Wrigley neighborhoods.

“I want to state for the record, I do like ice cream and I enjoy ice cream trucks,” Andrews said. “We just have to strike a balance of the needs of our neighbors for peace and quiet and the business needs to sell ice cream.”

The ordinance created confusion among some ice cream truck vendors, who thought they were being banned from the city.

“What else can you deduce when you read news reports about the last days of an ice cream man?” said Nestor Zea, 61, of Long Beach. “We were really worried.”

Deputy City Atty. Amy Webber told the Press-Telegram that cities such as Santa Ana, Fullerton and Anaheim have enacted similar laws restricting music from ice cream trucks.

Are ice cream trucks a nuisance or are the iconic tunes a childhood tradition? Let us know what you think by leaving a comment below or by tweeting @LANow.

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