Swap Meet Gets Santiago College Board’s Backing

Before a crowd of more than 100 people, the Rancho Santiago College Board of Trustees on Wednesday unanimously agreed that a swap meet held each Sunday in the college parking lot does not harm the surrounding neighborhood.

Members of the Washington Square Neighborhood Assn. had complained that El Mercado, a mostly Latino swap meet, brings traffic, trash and noise to their neighborhood. The group was lobbying to have it moved to another location.

But board members said they were satisfied with the results of a court-ordered study of the swap meet’s impact on the area, which was conducted by the Irvine-based firm of S/R Lamoureaux.

“I believe there are very few areas of negative impact,” Trustee Shirley Ralston said. “In the few areas where there are concerns, we’ll be very happy to sit down with the community and talk.”

Tim Rush, a member of the Washington Square Neighborhood Assn.’s board of directors, told the board that his group was open to negotiations to settle the problem.

For the large crowd of vendors who spoke in support of the swap meet, the board’s decision came as good news.

“We feel very relieved,” said Edward Salcedo, manager of El Mercado. “We were very concerned about the possibility of the swap meet having to shut down. It really means a lot to many people.”

The board still faces a lawsuit filed by the city charging that the swap meet violates Santa Ana zoning laws.