City orders Malibu Farmers Market shut down Sunday Play

The Malibu Farmers Market has been ignoring city rules, putting people in danger on Civic Center Way, and has been ordered to shut down, effective Sunday.

The Cornucopia Foundation will be met by city zoning officials, backed by sheriff's deputies if necessary, if it tries to set up Sunday, city manager Joe Irvin told KBUU News at midday Friday.

The new city manager said he has been repeatedly trying to coax Cornucopia's iron-willed director, Deb Bianco, to move back into the parking lot north of Civic Center Way, in front of the library and community college.

Bianco has told the city, Irvin says, that she does not have a permit from the county to move onto the county property. But Irvin says he has been working with the county, which is willing to issue the permit if Bianco applies for it.

The Farmers Market operated for more than a decade in the library parking lot, but about five years ago was forced across the street due to construction on the Malibu College building. At first, Bianco objected, but then found that the south side of Civic Center Way was to her liking.

She has collected dozens of signatures from customers who prefer the tree-shaded park and sidewalk next to it, over the harsh pavement and scant shade across the street.

But there is a deed restriction on Legacy Park, strictly prohibiting commercial operations. The Perenchio Family Trust has been unwilling to modify the deed, which could result in the city forfeiting ownership of the $25 million lot if a court rules against it.

Jerry Perenchio, who assembled the Univision television fortune, has died, but his family is calling the shots now.

“The City remains supportive of a farmers market in the community and is willing to continue working toward a suitable, properly permitted location,” Irvin said.

The one-time collection of greengrocer stalls has morphed into a crowded general-store selection of take-away food, clothing and knickknack booths — lots of vendors selling non-food.

But that's not the problem.

Last winter, Sheriff's Sergeant Chris Soderlund told the Public Safety Commission that the current arrangement is unsafe. He said the row of booths wedged into the parking area between the traffic lanes on Civic Center Way and the adjacent Legacy Park is a danger to merchants and customers.

“At the Farmers Market on Sundays we've had a couple collisions in the Civic Center,” Soderlund said. “Luckily, nobody's been hurt — a couple of near misses with pedestrians.”

Plans to move the Farmers Market into the library parking lot were also delayed because the lot was being used as an emergency sandbag filling station.

Numerous vendors are selling jewelry, clothing, crystals, art and other arts and crafts stuff in the park.

Past efforts to move the market back into the parking lot across the street have met stiff resistance from Farmers Market franchise holder Deb Bianco. She has a strong and loud group of supporters who have packed city council meetings to strongly urge — make that demand — that the city leave things be.