The head of a Calabasas nonprofit says he applied to run a farmers’ market because there isn’t currently one in Malibu.
By Jonathan Friedman / Assistant Editor
Cornucopia Foundation President Debra Bianco issued a written plea this week to the head of a rival nonprofit group, asking that he withdraw his application for a conditional-use permit to run a farmers market in the Civic Center area. Cornucopia ran a farmers market at the site, but it shut down in 2005, when they were told they needed a CUP and lease agreement with Los Angeles County. The group now has an application on file for a permit.
Bianco suggested in her letter that since Calabasas resident John Edward’s company, Raw Inspiration, already runs nine farmers markets, it could afford to abandon its plans for Malibu. She wrote that Cornucopia has paid for an environmental education program in Malibu with some of the money it has made from the market.
“You couldn’t possibly want to destroy the funding for a community children’s program,” Bianco wrote.
Edwards said in an interview on Tuesday that he had not received the letter, but he said he found it odd that he had received calls from several people asking him about the letter, including other media.
As to whether he would withdraw his application, Edwards said, “I have already put in the application, and although I haven’t seen the letter to comment on specifics, I see no reason why I would do that [withdraw the application].”
Edwards said he decided to apply for the permit because he observed that there was not a farmers market currently operating in Malibu, and he knows many people who want one.
Los Angeles County owns the Malibu Courthouse parking lot property where the farmers market used to take place. Malibu Permit Services Division Manager Gayle Sumpter said this week it is up to the county to decide which nonprofit-or possibly both-could run the market by signing a lease. Cornucopia has had trouble with holding its market on that property, including in 2005 when it was discovered the property was not zoned to allow a farmers market. The situation was corrected with an amendment to the city’s zoning code (although the city does not own the property, it has zoning control over it).
Bianco said this week that Cornucopia has been out of the farmers market business for so long because of difficulties, including the county telling her that a permit from the city was needed first and the city telling her a county lease was needed first.
Sumpter said any confusion over the order of permit and lease acquirement had been settled, and she said she was communicating about the matter with the applicants and the county. The Planning Commission must approve a conditional use permit. Sumpter said the commission could approve a permit without the applicant having a county lease yet, on the condition that a lease will eventually be received.
The current situation is the latest in a long history of controversies over the Malibu Farmers Market. Last year, a petition was issued to the city containing several vendors’ signatures and suggested Cornucopia mismanaged the market. It further stated that an organization called California Certified Farmers’ Markets should run the market in Malibu. It was later revealed that many of the people whose names appeared on the petition either denied having signed it or said they signed it with false information given to them.
California Certified Farmers’ Market was alleged to have been behind last year’s petition by Cornucopia. It is also connected to Raw Inspiration. But Edwards said his group only contracts with California Certified to acquire some supplies.