New city fees leave L.A. farmers markets uneasy

“I hope that the city really does put its money where its mouth is.”
-- Diana Rodgers, Mar Vista Farmers Market Manager

 “The Councilmember loves the markets and wants them all to stay in operation.  His staff is working with the various City departments in order to minimize any costs charged to the markets.”
–Laura McIennan, Deputy Chief of Staff for Councilmember Bill Rosendahl

“When we looked into the matter, they were realizing that actually those services aren’t being provided and the numbers are not commensurate with the actual services.”
-- Rodgers

“It’s been a really wonderful community to work with. This community … they’re very willing to help and they’re very happy to have the market and so they support by shopping and by bringing their own resources to it.”
-- Rodgers

Mar Vista Farmers Market
Oct. 4, 2009

Mar Vista Community Council helps out

By Nimisha Thakore
October 20, 2009

Members of the Mar Vista Community Council, part of the Neighborhood Council system of Los Angeles, has jumped in to help protect its farmers market.

“The community council is al liaison between the city and the citizens,” said Rob Kadota, community director of the council. “So we serve to meet the needs of he city and meet the needs of our community by interfacing with the city.”

Mar Vista Farmers Market is much more than a grocery stop to much of the surrounding community, and many council members have made efforts to assure its continued existence.

“For a community like Mar Vista  where we don’t have a downtown place, this is our downtown,” said Kadota. “This is where the community comes together at least once a week.”

Though the council as an organization has not developed a particular policy stance regarding the special events ordinance, some of its members have individually written letters of concern to the city.

According to Kadota, the special events fees were inevitable due to the city’s larger economic instability.

“Everybody’s got to … pony up and pay something,” he said.

The issue, then, is not fighting the fee. The issue is negotiating an affordable, manageable price, without which many farmers markets face closure – a dismal future for the Mar Vista community.

“Without it, we’re sort of a bedroom community,” said Kadota. “You know, people don’t get out, you don’t see your neighbors like you do here.”