The Kern County Grand Jury criticized Kern County Public Health last week over its handling of mobile food vendors.The grand jury pointed toward issues with the countys inspection of mobile food vendors, a lack of staff to inspe ct vendors and the health departments online portal.In its findings, the grand jury noted that mobile food vendors do not receive a letter grade similar to brick-and-mortar restaurants. The jury also found that mobile food vendors are not shown on the countys online "safe diner portal," and the portal itself is difficult to find.In early March, we spoke with Public Health on a similar topic regarding a crackdown on unlicensed food vendors."The unpermitted food vendor problem is prolific. It exists throughout all of Kern County, and so much so that we have a full-time team dedicated to simply addressing unpermitted food vendors," Public Health Director Brynn Carrigan said.According to the grand jury report, the county has 11 inspectors, but only two are dedicated to unpermitted vendors. It is unclear whether more have been assigned.The grand jury also found that a lack of funding has made it hard to hire new inspectors, and inspectors have left because of pay inequity compared to other counties. Additionally, the inspectors that Public Health has on staff do not work hours that coincide with when vendors are typically out in the evening.I reached out to Aly Zepeda, owner of Fuegos Taco Shack, a local staple in the Kern County area for more than a decade. Zepeda said what Public Health has been doing regarding mobile food vendors has been sufficient, but she has heard from vendors that it is hard to get into mobile food vending. She guessed this is due to short staffing in the department."I have heard from quite a few vendors lately that it is extremely hard. A couple have come to me and asked me how to do it. Since we are kind of, like, seasoned in the, you know, in this. I have told them exactly what to do. They have said that they have reached out, but they haven't heard. I do know that [Public Health is] extremely overworked. They're short-staffed. They have a lot going on," Zepeda said.We reached out to Public Health for comment on the grand jury report. A spokesperson said the department received the report and will respond to it in a timely manner.This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.Stay in Touch with Us Anytime, Anywhere: Download Our Free App for Apple and Android Sign Up for Our Daily E-mail Newsletter Like Us on Facebook Follow Us on Instagram Subscribe to Us on YouTube ...read more read less