Hollywood farmers market warns vendors they may have to demonstrate [Updated]

[[Updated at 6:25, Feb. 25: Organizers of the Hollywood farmers market have warned vendors that they may be unable to forge an agreement with the Los Angeles Film School.]

In a letter to vendors, market officials said film school representatives have not held up their end of the bargain during negotiations over access to a school parking structure on Ivar Avenue that is blocked by the Sunday market.

The market has long closed off a two-block stretch of Ivar to traffic on Sunday mornings. But in December, the city denied the market a permit for one of those blocks, in part because school officials complained that the market cut off the garage entrance.

School officials had agreed to review the feasibility of joining that parking garage with another one whose access is not blocked on Sundays, but market organizers say they have not done so.

"The film school has not undertaken a parking study, has not submitted any applications to the city for a project, and has not clearly stated their Sunday morning parking needs," market organizers wrote in the letter, which was provided to The Times by a vendor.

Albert Villalta, a spokesman for the film school, denied those claims in a statement Tuesday.

"At the request of the Farmers Market, the Film School continues to research the near- and long-term feasibility of the joining our parking structures together, and will share these findings in the appropriate forum," he said.

The dispute has been simmering since December, and market shoppers have waged a campaign to keep the market from being moved.

In December, the market  won an extension of its current permits until April 12. Meanwhile, school and market representatives have been meeting with city officials every other week in an effort to resolve the dispute.

Tensions appeared to build again earlier this month when it was revealed that the film school is considering building a major development at the intersection where the parking structure is located.

In their letter to vendors, market officials complained about the school's "plans for future growth."

"Our temporary street closure permit expires on April 12, and we may need to again demonstrate our steadfast commitment to our principles to the City and the L.A. Film School," the letter said.

[Updated 6:11 p.m. February 25: An earlier version of this post did not include the full statement from the organizers of the farmers market.]

RELATED:

The Times' guide to Southern California farmers markets

Hollywood farmers market fight could affect other markets

Hollywood farmers market will continue for at least 90 days

-- Kate Linthicum

Image: Map shows location of Hollywood farmers market. Credit: Los Angeles Times

Comments

[ergie]

So these whiners are going to protest thier "right" to block a public street on a recurring basis and on top of that block access to someone else's private property??!! In most LA communities you can legally have 2 (TWO!) garage sales a year, so lets limit this farmers market, (food swap meet) to twice a year unless they secure an agreement to have it on someone's private property parking lot, like ALL other recurring weekend swap meets. There is no difference in the use, only in the products sold, so here goes, motion to redefine "farmers market" as a food swap meet subject to all permits and restrictions of other swap meets.

[Robert Goodin]

Sethook, I have a hard time wrapping my head around how you not only brought violence into a Farmer's Market dispute (!) but also xenophobia towards Mexico. That's quite a stretch.

I and a lot of Farmer's Market shoppers would be willing to (peacefully, as if it has to be stated) demonstrate in front of the school to show support for the market. The school doesn't have classes on Sunday and has even offered parking (for a fee) in their empty lot for years. Their argument does not make any sense.

[jsa26]

Good question sethook.

It seems if there is no legal way to do what people want, they resort to civil-disobedience. That seems like a euphemism for breaking the law with a reason.

I agree property owners have a right to access their property. It's the responsibility of the "farmers" to find a place to host their market that is agreeable to the residents.

[Borchy]

Id have to agree with Seth move the part of the market that blocks access to the school and be done with it already. Why is it that the city can't do something as SIMPLE as that?????? They've already granted the market city streets to setup and sell on..... So make a few minor adjustments and settle the problem.

[Carol]

I fail to understand why the Farmers' Market thinks it has rights over the private property of the film school? Is it claiming eminent domain????

[Soo Oh (Web Producer, latimes.com)]

We’ve deleted the following comment for violating our Terms of Service, which you can view here: http://lat.ms/comments-tos

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Deleted comment:
- sethook | February 23, 2011 at 08:54 AM

[Marcia Twane]

@Soo Oh (Web Producer, latimes.com) | February 23, 2011 at 11:00 AM

Your comment does not make sense...please explain.

How did the comment (by sethook) that you deleted ever get posted in the first place???

In the "Post a comment" instructions, it specifically says:

"Comments are moderated, and will not appear until they've been approved. "

Who approved the comment in the first place?

How could it get approved if it violated the Terms Of Service?????????

[Alex Poe]

What's really going on (insider info, but any reporter could confirm this by making the right phone calls):

LA Film School needs money. Leasing/subleasing some of its properties has been proposed as a revenue generator. The parking structure was particularly noted as a possible revenue stream during the tourist season. Since the school has no classes on Sunday, and there are rarely any official school activities on Sunday, the entire lot could be made available for premium parking services. The school has already approached one well-known parking vendor to handle management of the lot.

LA Film School can't sell/rent/lease the lot as long as the Farmer's Market blocks it on Sunday. The well-known parking vendor will not touch the lot until that matter is dealt with in a permanent manner.

Ergo, LA Film School reneges on long-standing deal with the local community and begins dragging its feet on finding "alternatives" - the proposed solutions would tend to reduce the potential revenue stream the parking lot provides.

[Sam]

1. The Film School's lot is bounded on all four sides by streets, and the Farmer's Market only blocks one of its four corners.
2. The Market is already constrained by major streets on all four sides, so making up for the lost block would involve either crossing a major street or relocating the market entirely.
3. The Market has been operating there far longer than the Film School.
4. The Farmer's Market is the defining civic institution of the neighborhood. It is more important - in quality-of-life and in economic development - than the Film School or anything the Film School might build at the back of their lot.

To ergie: Yes, they have a "right" to block the street because we (the people through our government) have decided to permit farmers markets in public streets - Are streets only for cars? And the market doesn't "block access to someone else's private property", it only blocks vehicular access for a few hours every Sunday morning - and in this case to only a small portion of the lot in question.

[Bike LA]

The market was there, using that street before the school moved in. The school will have known about any issue of having limited access to one of their parking structures on a day when they don't have classes prior to making its decision. This school really needs to do something about it's PR image.

[Soo Oh (Web Producer, latimes.com)]

@Marcia Twane,

We have a team of moderators who check the comments and approve them. But moderators are human, and sometimes inappropriate comments get posted when they shouldn't.

Thank you for your concern, and please let us know if there are any offensive comments by leaving a message in the post.

[AreYouKiddingMe]

Anyone stop and think that the school hasn't had too much activity over these past years on Sundays because they can't get into their parking lots???? I would be pissed off if someone set up shop in front of my driveway on Sundays and told me to build a new one if I want to get in.

Come on folks! I've been to the market hundreds of times over the years and there are plenty of places to move the booths/stands that block these people's lot. I like my veggies just as much as the next guy, but doesn't sound like the farmers are being very fair.

[David]

>>It seems if there is no legal way to do what people want, they resort to civil-disobedience. That seems like a euphemism for breaking the law with a reason.

Yes, that's what it is, and that's what our founding fathers wanted to make sure we had a right to do... wherever and whenever we wanted. It's what our country was founded on. You need a lesson in U.S. history.

There are farmer's markets all over LA country than involve blocking off streets. It's nothing unique. Of course the city has a right to do it. Notice how no other businesses seem to dispute these farmer's markets.

[Katarina]

If the School wants to access it's lot on Sunday that is thier right...

[Ray]

Move it some place else where it's more appreciated.

[Kyle Parker]

LA Film school is a joke. People who "graduate" from there get good jobs in the restaurant industry. To hell with them

[RWh]

It's a public street. It does not belong to the Farmers Market. The film school has the right to access it's facility without impediment.

[Pompea Smith]

The L.A. Timesblog article “Hollywood farmers market warns vendors they may have to demonstrate” (Feb. 23) misrepresents the position of Sustainable Economic Enterprises of Los Angeles (SEE-LA), the nonprofit organization which runs the Hollywood Farmers' Market. Your writer Kate Linthicum suggests that our notice to vendors and supporters on Sunday was inciting vendors to participate in a demonstration, or picketing, or some form of civil disobedience. This is inaccurate. The only part of our Sunday notice to vendors and supporters which uses the word “demonstrate” is a sentence which says:

“. . . we may need to again demonstrate our steadfast commitment to our principles [of access, safety, market size, and locating the Selma/Ivar intersection as the heart of the market] to the City and the L.A. Film School.” We did not warn vendors that they may have to participate in a demonstration. Our full statement can be found at http://www.farmernet.com/.

Sincerely,

Pompea Smith
CEO, Sustainable Economic Enterprises of Los Angeles (SEE-LA)