Baker sues Carmel for being excluded from farmers market
A baker from Stanislaus County has filed a lawsuit against the City of Carmel because of their ban on the selling of goods by out-of-town businesses. The Carmel city council decided on the ban six months ago in July and passed an ordinance, which only allows vendors from Monterey, Santa Cruz and San Benito counties to sell their goods at the market.
The petitioner in the lawsuit is a man named Gerit Sand, who owns the Cobblestone Bakers in Riverbank. He claims Carmel-by-the-Sea breached the contract he had with the organizer of the farmers market when they passed the ordinance.
Sand said the city allowed local businesses to take precedent and therebydiscriminated against him and other Stanislaus County business owners. He said that consequently he lost money and is suing for damages upwards of $25,000.
The lawsuit was filed in the Monterey County Superior Court on Dec. 16.
Sand said he previously had a verbal agreement with the West Coast Farmers Market Association, which is the entity that contracts with the city to manage the market. Each week, Sand paid a $50 fee to rent space in the market. Additionally, he paid a one-time fee of $741 to the Monterey County Health Department to obtain a health permit.
According to the suit, businesses that sell prepared foods and “do not have fixed structures or storefronts in the downtown business district” of Carmel are not allowed, and this measure was taken to “eliminate competition.” This rule was amended in September when the council decided Monterey Peninsula based businesses can sell prepackaged foods at the farmers market; Carmel establishments are preferential.
The lawsuit is also asking for a judge’s order banning Carmel from prohibiting outside businesses at the weekly farmers market.
