fµ¢k the farmers

For all you Angelenos who haven’t been following the story, you can find background on the dispute between the LA Film School and Hollywood Farmers’ Market here. And here. Should you get fired up enough to give your councilperson a piece of your mind on the matter, feel free to use any portion of the letter below (Eric Garcetti is the Councilman for District 13/Hollywood: councilmember.garcetti@lacity.org). Will property-owners’ rights trump the public good? Stay tuned …

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An open letter to the Los Angeles City Council:

I am writing as a constituent, a taxpayer and a frequent patron of the Hollywood Farmers’ Market to urge you to deny the Los Angeles Film School’s request to remove the market from the Sunset-to-Selma stretch of Ivar Avenue UNLESS the displaced vendors can be moved to another immediately adjacent area that is comparable in size, safety and accessibility.

As I’m sure you’re aware, the Hollywood Farmers’ Market has been operating every Sunday in the same spot for almost 20 years. The LA Film School, however, was founded in 1999, making them the proverbial family that buys a house next to the airport and then complains about the noise. Access to parking has always been a problem in Hollywood and not just on Sundays.

But rather than being hurt by the parking problem, the LAFS has actually been profiting from it, selling spaces in their own lots to farmers’ market patrons for $7 a spot. So one obvious solution to this dispute would be for the LAFS to re-designate those lots as school parking only. But instead, they’d rather disrupt a Hollywood institution that provides a real and valuable service not only to this community, but to other less advantaged areas where farmers’ markets are sustained by the profits from the Hollywood Farmers’ Market.

Another solution would be the one proposed by Planning Commissioner Mike Woo, who suggests that the LAFS knock down a wall in their own garage to accommodate their students and guests. A spokesperson for the LAFS has responded that they should not have to bear the full financial burden for the expansion of their (commercial) enterprise. Yet is it not a basic rule of business that you have to spend money to make money? I suppose in tough times, some businesses will go to great lengths to evade that rule, even if it means effectively stealing from the public.

I understand there is also a relatively new City ordinance regarding obtaining permits for street closures, which is making the HFM more vulnerable to the LAFS’ demands. I would ask the Council to simply grandfather in the Hollywood Farmers’ Market so that they may continue feeding the local community, supporting the backbreaking work of area farmers and contributing to the health and well-being of poorer communities that would not otherwise have access to farmers’ markets.

The LA Film School is a for-profit organization that is looking for a way to turn a buck at the expense of the local, taxpaying community and the hard-working farmers who serve it. As a member of this community, I take vehement exception to that. I implore you to do the right thing for the people you serve and deny the LA Film School’s request. Thank you for your time and careful attention to this important matter.

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