The San Luis Obispo Downtown Association and the Farmers’ Market Association announced that they will once again work together to coordinate the Thursday night Farmers’ Market in San Luis Obispo Tuesday after two weeks of conflict. Both groups addressed communication, insurance and liability issues that were added to a new contract written last weekend.
During the San Luis Obispo City Council meeting on Feb. 2, Downtown Association Executive Director Deborah Cash explained her decision to end the 27-year relationship between the Downtown Association and the Farmers’ Market Association using a timeline chronicling the building tension between the two entities. A lack of communication ended the relationship, she said.
According to Cash, the conflict began in January with the expansion of the sidewalk in front of the Wineman Hotel, which limited the time and space farmers had to unload produce. Market administrator and Cal Poly biological sciences professor Peter Jankay said he didn’t get any response when he addressed the issue, which also limits produce sellers to the left side of the street. In November, Jankay sent a letter of resignation to the Downtown Association Committee.
Farmers’ Market Association board member Dave Righetti has been a vendor at Farmers’ Market every Thursday and Saturday for 27 years. He said Cash’s assertion that the two entities weren’t cooperating wasn’t well-grounded.
“It was news to the farmers,” he said. “We had no idea this was going to happen the way it did or that it was going to happen at all.”
Righetti said Jankay’s constant presence and accessibility as an advocate for the farmers should have been clear to the Downtown Association.
“Every Thursday after Peter left the advisers’ meeting he was out on the street managing the Farmers’ Market and (the Downtown Association Committee) could have come out at any moment and talked to him,” Righetti said.
Members of Downtown Association, however, said they had trouble forwarding messages through Jankay.
“Farmers (would) set up in the wrong location in front of a crosswalk or early and they say Peter told them to do that,” Downtown Association administrative assistant Brent Vanderhoof said. “We want them to be successful and also have a safe event, since we have responsibility and liability in the whole event, we want to have direct communication with the farmers but with Peter in the way that broke down.”
Though the tension has somewhat subsided as a result of yesterday morning’s meeting, Jankay refused to comment about the new contract or state whether he would rejoin the Downtown Association Committee.
Righetti also expressed concern for the Downtown Association running the Farmers’ Market due to its lack of experience and possible changes to the current structure that may result in an increase in fees and less profit for participating farmers.
“If the downtown people cannot work with our advocate, how in the heck are they going to deal with 50 different farmers? I personally have no desire to be a part of (Cash’s) committee, to be a token figurehead,” Righetti said. “It’s attacking mom and apple pie. We’ve created a culture down there that’s world renowned.”
The market will run as usual with the exception of some minor changes meant to facilitate communication between the groups, which Cash said is the root of the existing problem. The Downtown Association will remain responsible for the event and visitors’ safety; the Farmers’ Market Association will continue to coordinate the farmers.
Some members of the Farmers’ Market Association will join the Downtown Association Committee, and at least one member of the Downtown Association Committee and at least two representatives from the Farmers’ Market Association will join the Farmers’ Market Committee. The farmers who join the board must be appointed by the Farmers’ Market Association to serve a minimum one-year term.
During the council meeting, Cash also said the Downtown Association does not plan to change the current structure of the market and include more farmers on the Downtown Association’s board to replace Jankay’s seat; farmers said they are skeptical whether their presence will make a difference.
In the past, the Farmers’ Market Association charged farmers 5 percent of their monthly revenue; every three months 1 percent would go to the Downtown Association to fund the event. The Downtown Association will now collect all 5 percent, which will cost the Farmers’ Market Association one-third of the revenue it uses to support four other local Farmers’ Markets. Farmers cited many examples of other farmers’ markets that were taken over by the city and as a result had their profit lowered and lost their emphasis on produce.
Cal Poly Organic Farm manager and member of the Farmers’ Market Association Cindy Douglas said the Downtown Association might be able to turn the market from a place to party to a place to shop.
She said of the average $100 farmers earn in a night, the majority goes to paying for their spot and fees, the educational aspect has been completely forgotten in the current debate.
“Cal Poly is at the Farmers’ Market to put a happy face on Cal Poly and be part of what is going on down there. But the other part is to educate people on the health benefits, how to cook and how to really utilize the crops. We are not there to make money but the educate people on local seasonal produce,” Douglas said.
In regards to insurance and liability, the Farmers’ Market Association must obtain insurance from all participating farmers and provide the Downtown Association Committee with a certificate of insurance. A representative from the Farmers’ Market Association must attend the weekly event from set-up to clean-up to ensure rules and regulations are enforced and serve as a communicator between the Downtown Association Committee and the farmers. Lastly, a request that certified organic farmers be allowed to sell their produce Thursday Night was also added.