Weekend swap meet challenged yet again

Deirdre Newman

Paul Wilbur says he is not against the swap meet at Orange Coast

College.

But, for the second time, he questions the authority of a city

body to approve the two-day weekend marketplace because he said he

doesn’t believe proper procedure was followed.

The first time, he appealed the Planning Commission’s approval of

the two-day swap meet because no public hearing was conducted. After

his appeal, the City Council unanimous approved the venue.

Now, Wilbur will ask on Monday for a rehearing because he said the

director of finance did not conduct an investigation into the meet’s

revenue or obtain a report from the State Board of Equalization.

Wilbur said he is concerned that the city’s reported take of the

swap meet revenue for the last fiscal year is not enough to justify

the meet’s existence. The city reported receiving $29,000 in sales

tax last year.

“It’s not even going to bid to fix two potholes,” Wilbur opined.

“Where are we ever going to recoup the use of our infrastructure to

accommodate this if the vendors don’t even make $13 a day?”

But Don Lamm, deputy city manager, said the city had all the

necessary information, followed all the proper steps and there is no

new information presented by Wilbur that would warrant a rehearing.

Wilbur, however, said the burden of proof to present new evidence

rests on the director of finance.

“I’m saying the City Council was not able to comply with the law

by not having that report,” Wilbur said. “This council is a fine

council that wants to do the right thing. If they would have a staff

that had honesty, integrity and concern for the welfare of its

inhabitants, we would have this information and would be generating

revenue.”

Wilbur said he is not singling out the swap meet, but would also

like to see a report from the State Board Of Equalization regarding

revenue from it.

The swap meet, which grew to double its permitted size over the

past 20 years, was cut in half in May after city officials researched

traffic complaints on Fairview Road. The flea market-type shopping

venue had been operating at half its normal capacity for seven months

before the City Council approved the full, two-day meet in December.

* DEIRDRE NEWMAN covers education. She may be reached at (949)

574-4221 or by e-mail at deirdre.newman@latimes.com.