DAVIS FREE SPEECH THREATENED

Photos show how community & political group tabling is dying in Farmer Market’s in its new park location.

By Alan “Lorax” Hirsch  ahirsch@dcn.org

Community and political groups have been removed from tabling in the Farmers Market along the C street sidewalk to an isolated unshaded part of Central Park. This happened by edict on 4/22/25, a decision made with no community groups’ input. Groups are concerned there would be no foot traffic in new location…and make it a waste of their time to table. The city manager said 30+ people that do the volunteer tabling should just give market manager’s idea “a try.” (LINK  to background piece)

The results are in from the first week of this experiment. Failure.

This is a photo at 11am (peak shopping) shows just 3 people visiting at the 7 tables of groups that took the time to set up in the unshaded and unpaved grassy part of the park near B Street. We heard from wheelchair bound shoppers that these tables were no longer accessible, like families with children in strollers.

It’s of note that only 7 groups set up tables compared to an average of 14/week for the previous month. No reason to waste volunteer time if no one comes by.

This is an especially striking result as the music and tables of the city’s Caesar Chavez day event on 4/26 (not pictured) should have attracted more shoppers to leave the C Street Market for the grassy area.   On a regular Saturday one would expect even less foot traffic to this area. 

Note also the children on the left in photo: tabling in this area intrudes into kids’ free play/family picnic area.

I passed out fliers and signs in the old location on Saturday for years, and my logs show I could give out 60-120 fliers any Saturday morning or 30-50 lawn signs, meaning 300-500 people would pass me.

This picture below is of market crowds when community groups were in the old location on the C street sidewalk.  First is a picture crowds in area in October 2016; you can just see the head of a Hillary cut out at Democratic table in the center of photo in the background where I was tabling.

City Claims Public  Speech Rights in Park were sold to Farmers Market, INC

 City is telling public in emails that it has no responsibility for free speech in Central Park or public C Street sidewalk as it has privatized our free speech rights to the Central Park by leasing it to Farmers Market, Inc. for 30 years in a no-bid contract. The trouble is that the city regulates speech in their municipal code at 14.070.01; this section could be changed.  And while city claims it privatized away public rights to have say on our  speech via a lease to the Market, Inc  this argument is inconsistent as city retains right (and cost) of policing the park, and continues to regulate consumption of alcohol on the now so-called privately regulated space by municipal ordinance- in muni code. And even specify the3 types of people who should be on the Market, Inc.  So this argument –we signed away all power — seems like city is passing the buck—and one wonders if the  city would have a defensible position in court due to these inconsistencies.

But even before troubling: why is our city council not going to bat for small community groups who need the best possible access to the park & the market?   Why are they not stepping up to represent the  community seeing as the Davis Farmer Market Alliance, Inc’s board is self perpetuating and not accountable in any way.  And with 26 more years to run on their lease of the market space, the city seem to claimed it has no power via a threat of not renewing their seemingly unchecked monopoly power .

Community groups and individuals are planning to show up at Tuesday May 6^th city council meeting to make their concerns known in verbal. Voice mail and written comment. citycouncilmember@cityofdavis.org.

The Davis Farmer Market Alliance Inc, board is does not publicly announce its meeting or have a public meeting schedule, publish agenda or its minutes or share it finances, and does have an board specific email on its website where public can give it input, or a place where the public can share its concerns.