SANTA ANA : Outdoor Swap Meets Outlawed in 5-2 Vote

The City Council on Tuesday passed an ordinance that bans all outdoor swap meets in the city.

The council, which approved the ordinance by a 5-2 vote, cited parking problems, theft, trash and neighborhood disruptions in passing the measure. The ordinance is “an effort to maintain the character of the city’s neighborhoods,” said Robin Uptegraff, planning director. “The problems that prompted this action go back many years and relate to the concerns of what happens when swap meets are near residential neighborhoods,” Uptegraff said. “In each instance, there have been significant complaints.”

Rodney Burge, a member of the Orange County Chicano Moratorium committee, spoke out against the ordinance. “The Mexican people have always relied on this type of income. This is unfair to the people and the vendors,” he said.

The ordinance does not apply to indoor swap meets or to temporary outdoor events such as festivals, craft fairs or bazaars that are sponsored by government agencies, churches or nonprofit service organizations.

Outdoor swap meets have been a source of controversy since 1987, when city officials shut down a popular swap meet held at Eddie West Stadium after receiving complaints from neighbors about trash and noise.

The city then spent more than three years in court trying to shut down El Mercado, a swap meet held in the parking lot of Rancho Santiago College on Sundays in reaction to residents’ complaints.