[ Golden Gater Online - September 11, 1997 ]
Students looking for a missing lunch wagon in front of SF State may not realize the vendor's move has actually become a campus controversy.
Clara and Len Galant are a mother and son team who operate the lunch wagon which serves students and faculty in front of the HSS building. They claim trouble started with plant operations and the University Police Department when the university revoked their school permit and shut them down after 19th Avenue construction began last summer.
University police told the Galants over the summer that they had to move because a lunch wagon near the construction site might cause safety problems for customers wanting to get food, Clara said. The orders were given by Robert Hutson, director of plant operations, to the Chief of Police, Kim Wible.
The wagon owners, who serve sandwiches, coffee and donuts to students and faculty, had been in the same spot in front of the HSS building for 13 years. In order to combat the university's move to shut them down, the Galants instead received a temporary city permit allowing them to move around the corner of Holloway and 19th Avenues in a space that had been set aside for motorcycle parking.
However, the university still opposed the Galants' location because the wagon is taking up more space than the motorcycle parking did. With cars trying to merge onto Holloway, the space becomes very narrow and congested, according to Amalia Borja, spokeswoman for UPD. The police shut the cart down again last Thursday despite their city permits.
Forced to abandon their food wagon cost the Galants both money and business, and the way they were treated equated to harassment, the mother and son team claim.
"The arrogance they have toward our family is unbelievable," Len said.
Because of their permits, the wagon was able to open up again the next day. And what the owners have called police harassment may just be a communications mix-up.
The wagon was able to open up again last Thursday because they had city permits and received an apology from the officer who told them to shut down. UPD also thought the owners had tampered with the motorcycle parking sign when it was simply moved to limit motorcycle parking by San Francisco Department of Parking and Traffic.
While Borja said she didn't even know of the controversy until Monday, Len and the university police chief met Monday to discuss a compromise. According to Len, Wible apologized about the move but did not promise a new permit.
The Galants also have a hearing Sunday with the city to determine if they will have their permit extended. They have drummed up support by getting 2,000 people to sign a petition for the lunch wagon, which they will present to the city.
Clara believes the city will allow the cart to stay, but she is still unsure about the way her relationship will continue with the university.
"The city supports us and the university is working against us," said Clara. "We just want to feed people who are hungry."
[ Golden Gater - September 11, 1997 ]