Farmers coming back

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The following letter was addressed to the City Council.

After what has seemed to us at Cornucopia (Foundation) to be an interminable time, it appears that the city’s zoning glitch has been remedied and the changed requirements for obtaining a CUP for the Farmers Market have been met. One of these requirements entailed months of Cornucopia going back and forth between the County and the City to broker a solution so our CUP process could move forward. The County was understandably confused, since this documentation had never been required before.

Remedying this glitch has taken three years and the cost to Malibu’s residents and visitors has been a Farmers Market that couldn’t start until Aug., 5 and then only for a few weeks. There was no Farmers Market at all in 2006. Three days after we obtained the necessary documentation from the County and re-submitted our CUP packet, and after this organization has done all the legwork, another group with nine markets submitted a request for a Farmers Market CUP.

The cost to the children’s program has been devastating. As the Council is aware, AB 1548 requires that Environmental Education be taught in school. Cornucopia’s Environmental Education Center up at Malibu High School is to be initially for all grades in after-school programs, and its intent is to assist the already burdened educational system with a program based on the highly innovative, successful one created in Berkeley, based on a private and public educational partnership. The kids themselves rated this as their second most favorite class. That program was halted just as it was gearing up to launch, because the funding was decimated by the Farmers Market situation.

For nearly a decade, Cornucopia has enjoyed the support of both the City and its residents. In return, Cornucopia has provided a long sought after Farmers Market, which has benefits at social, community, nutritional, environmental and educational levels. We are confident we can continue to rely on your support, and that the necessary permit will be received as quickly as possible, so Malibu residents and visitors can once again enjoy a vibrant Farmers Market, and we can move forward with the Environmental Education Center. We have enjoyed your support.

Debra Bianco, president

Cornucopia Foundation