Los Banos farmer given OK to continue sales at park

A Los Banos farmer who long has run a one-man farmers market at a city park has won permission to continue operating while officials establish rules to regulate such ventures.

City Manager Steve Carrigan said Friday he has given Will Areias the OK to sell his produce and goods at Pacheco Park two days a week as long as he obtains insurance and complies with other rules and regulations.

“The city’s intent was never to put Areias out of business,” Carrigan said in an email to the Los Banos Enterprise.

Areias, owner of Willy-Bee’s Honey and Produce, had butted heads with city officials over proposed terms of an ordinance to regulate vendors using public spaces. The city had asked that if Areias were to lead a farmers market, it should have at least four certified producers participating by May 1, 2016. Once the market reached seven vendors, it would need to relocate from the park to downtown Los Banos.

Areias, who has operated the stand alone since 2012, said he has not had time to recruit other vendors.

Carrigan said he spoke with Areias on Friday and they reached an agreement that would enable him to continue operating. Carrigan said he granted Areias permission “using my discretion as the city manager.”

The city, he said, hopes to build a vibrant farmers market in the downtown area and that “when Mr. Areias turned down our proposal, it became clear that we needed to look elsewhere.”

Carrigan said the city would reach out to established farmers market associations.

Los Banos has lacked rules regulating such markets, and the move to pass an ordinance is meant to control such endeavors before other merchants attempted to establish themselves, according to city officials.

“What happens when the sno-cone vendor comes and says ‘I’m going to park it here because Will parked it here’? Next thing, we’ll have a flea market at Pacheco Park. I can’t have it,” Carrigan said Wednesday at a City Council meeting.

The ordinance as originally proposed would have allowed farmers markets to operate only one day per week. Areias asked for additional days, and a proposed compromise would have allowed markets to run two days per week roughly half of the year and one day per week the rest of the time. On Wednesday, however, the council scrapped that plan and voted 3-1 to allow farmers markets two days per week.

Mayor Mike Villalta voted against the plan because, he said, he preferred the original proposal. Councilman Tom Faria recused himself because his wife is the executive director of the Los Banos Chamber of Commerce, which inquired about holding its own market.

This story was originally published October 9, 2015 at 5:48 PM with the headline "Los Banos farmer given OK to continue sales at park."