Xavier Becerra urges Californians to eat street tacos amid restaurant crisis

In a recent commentary, Xavier Becerra, former secretary of health and human services and current candidate for governor, urged Californians to patronize street-food vendors, especially taco carts, as an affordable alternative to traditional restaurants. The article highlights that many of these vendors operate in low-income neighborhoods, often lacking permanent hand-washing stations and other health safeguards that licensed eateries must maintain.

California’s restaurant industry bears some of the nation’s highest operating costs, including commercial rent, numerous taxes, insurance, and extensive regulatory compliance, which has forced historic establishments like Cole’s French Dip and Sweet Lady Jane to close. These closures have resulted in significant job losses in a sector that previously provided nearly 1.8 million jobs. The author contends that Becerra’s recommendation serves as a distraction from the policy pressures that have made dining out unaffordable, rather than presenting a concrete plan to revive the industry.

Chef and Huntington Beach councilmember Andrew Gruel is cited to question Becerra’s personal connection to the street-food scene. Overall, the piece frames the governor-hopeful’s remarks as a political maneuver amid a deepening crisis for California’s dining establishments.