The Hollywood Farmers’ Market is “the front porch of Hollywood.”

We would like to convey our sincerest thanks to all of our supporters who called or emailed Council President Garcetti this week to voice their concern over the Hollywood Farmers’ Market’s street closure situation.  Council President Garcetti himself told our representatives on Thursday that his office received over 1000 email messages and phone calls supporting the Hollywood Farmers’ Market — an astonishing response in less than 24 hours after we asked you to lend your voices to our struggle.  Thank you for your support.  Although we are encouraged by the progress made so far, we need to remain steadfast in our commitment to our principles, and ready to demonstrate that commitment again if needed.  Please stay ready should we need to again show our resolve to keep the market the unique community experience it is.

At the Thursday, December 16 meeting, Council President Garcetti reconfirmed his longstanding support for the Hollywood Farmers’ Market and reiterated the great significance that the Market has for the community and the rest of Los Angeles by promoting food security throughout L.A.  We are grateful to Council President Garcetti for his strong leadership.  We are particularly pleased that he expressed his commitment to keeping the market at its central hub of Ivar and Selma Ave., and that he is committed to a fair process as we work toward the specifics of a final resolution. As of today, the city has verbally committed to issuing SEE-LA a 90-day extension on its current street closure permit, giving us a better opportunity to understand the problems and to research alternatives.  We will work with the Department of Transportation to research alternative market layouts on adjacent streets, which could relocate many of the farmers currently south of Selma on Ivar Ave., and could present the opportunity for the market to expand, which Council President Garcetti indicated he would support. The LA Film School will consider construction options to connect its parking structures and provide access to their facilities 24/7. Most importantly, the Council President affirmed that he is committed to:

• Maintaining the market’s current size and number of vendors,
• Maintaining its accessibility to the public and vendors, and
• Ensuring the safety of its customers and vendors.

If you’d like to become more involved with SEE-LA and the market, we’d like to extend to you an invitation to our Annual Meeting.  Stay tuned for specifics on the date and location.  We also invite you to make a generous end-of-the-year donation to our Market Preservation Fund to defray the cost of legal, architectural, and engineering services which will be necessary to defend the Hollywood Farmers’ Market’s position during the next 90 days of negotiations. Remember, while we have been successful at winning an extension of our street closure permit, the battle to secure the future of the Hollywood Farmers Market is not over. Click here for instructions on how to make a tax-deductible contribution to SEE-LA and the Hollywood Farmers’ Market.

Thank you again for your tremendous support, and we look forward to seeing you this Sunday at the market!