This is in reference to Ron Fink’s commentary about the Lompoc swap meet. I was on the City Council when we renegotiated the contract in 2010 and at that time there was supposed to be a monitoring process in effect.
I went to the swap meet Saturday and sent my questions to the city administrator and city hall. I served on the Old Town Market Committee since its beginning in 2000. We followed all the rules associated with putting on an event of this type — all of our vendors had city business licenses, the food vendors had certificates of compliance from the Santa Barbara County Public Health Department, and we made sure the areas we were using were cleaned up at the end of the market.
My questions to the city address these issues of licensing and health permits. I also want to know if the concessionaire is paying the owner of the adjacent lots for use of the space. It seems to me if the swap meet organizers want to continue, they should limit the vendors to those who have city business licenses, and the food vendors need to be inspected and approved by the county health department.
It is only a matter of time before someone gets sick because the food is not properly stored, heated and cleaned according to the regulations in place.
Ann Ruhge
Lompoc