After a recent Barstow town hall, Republican gubernatorial candidate Steve Hilton stopped by one of the first Del Taco restaurants to enjoy some food.
In the video posted to Facebook, Hilton is standing outside the North First Avenue Del Taco, while holding a hard shell, crispy taco, overflowing with cheese and a tomato slice, partially wrapped in yellow paper.
Hilton points to a newly constructed concrete mural wall near the entrance to the new North First Avenue Bridge. The mural shows a train traveling under the recently dismantled old First Avenue Bridge.
He mentioned participating “in a great town hall here in Barstow,” the hometown of his running mate Gloria Romero, who is vying for the lieutenant governor seat.
Romero called the May 9 public gathering at Cora Harper Community Center the “Cali-Fordable Town Hall,” where the duo would discuss “actionable, common-sense solutions to make living in our great state affordable again.”
Hilton explained that he’s holding a “Barstow street taco” because he purchased it from the historic “Original Del Taco.”
Pushing the taco toward the front of the camera,” Hilton ends the video by saying, “So, there it is, my Barstow street taco. I’m going to enjoy it, see you soon.”
Romero worked at Del Taco
Romero took to X to thank Hilton for “joining the Barstow community today” and calling the town hall a great success.
“I’m so glad you took everyone’s advice to stop at the historic @DelTaco ORIGINAL site!” Romero told Hilton on X. “Del Taco was my first jog [sic] as a teenager and I’ve always been thankful of all the workplace skills I learned there! Onward to victory!”
What is a street taco?
Many took to social media to tell Hilton that his taco was not considered a “street taco.”
Street tacos are a traditional Mexican snack of warm corn tortillas typically filled with meat, topped with onions, cilantro and often a spicy sauce, according to Nation’s Restaurant News.
The Original Del Taco
Others explained to Hilton that the First Avenue Del Taco was the second store for the company.
Despite the First Avenue Del Taco displaying the phrase “Original Del Taco,” the first Del Taco was built east of Barstow.
In 1964, Ed Hackbarth and David Jameson opened the first Del Taco in Yermo, with a menu that included 19-cent tacos, tostadas, fries, and 24-cent cheeseburgers, the Daily Press reported.
The three Del Taco sites in Barstow are still independently owned and operated by the family, while the remaining stores are under the new parent company Yadav Enterprises.
Primary poll
A June primary poll released Monday, May 4, showed a tight race between gubernatorial candidate Hilton and Democrat Xavier Becerra, with each capturing 18% of voters, according to an EVITARUS tracking poll commissioned by the California Democratic Party.
Hilton and Republican candidate Chad Bianco followed with 14%, then Democratic candidate Tom Steyer with 12%.
Democrats Katie Porter and Matt Mahan were close with 8% and 7%, respectively, while Antonio Villaraigosa and Tony Thurmond each held 2% or less. Fourteen percent of voters remained undecided.
Brian Coulter of Barstow told the Daily Press that online photos of Hilton holding food from In-N-Out Burger and Del Taco, both founded in the Golden State, “makes him prime California governor material.”
June primary dates
Some key dates for the June primary include:
The Desert Sun contributed to this story.
Daily Press reporter Rene Ray De La Cruz may be reached at RDeLaCruz@VVDailyPress.com. Follow him on X @DP_ReneDeLaCruz
This article originally appeared on Victorville Daily Press: California governor candidate Steve Hilton visits Barstow Del Taco
Reporting by Rene Ray De La Cruz, Victorville Daily Press / Victorville Daily Press
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