Judge orders temporary restraining order against local swap meet

The Imperial County court ruled on Wednesday in the case of City of Calexico versus Santo Tomas Swap Meet.

Council Member Bill Hodge, said, “A temporary restraining order against the owner of Santo Tomas.”

This order prevents the swap meet from doing any business.

“The city needs to serve that order and now we’re in the middle of a game of cat and mouse because the owner doesn’t seem to be available,” Hodge said.

Hodge said the place had numerous safety code violations before the recent fire that closed it and is now a public safety risk.

“The city has to protect itself against liability. And the city has to be very concerned about safety. Safety for the vendors themselves, whether they acknowledge it or not, and safety for the whole community,” Hodge said.

About two dozen vendors crowded the court when the judge said there was enough evidence to grant the order.

“They were allowed at first to sell on the southern area, but then they encroached upon the area that had been badly damaged,” Hodge said.

Christian Martinez, Las Palmas Swap Meet Public Information, said they’ve reached out to Santo Tomas vendors.

“We opened the doors for them. We decreased rent. We let all our vendors know that been for years that we’re going to do this as a time of hardship and help them out,” Martinez said.

He said they understand the seriousness of code regulations.

“Of course, when a fire does happen at a local swap meet, it does make our ears point up to see what happened there since we run the same type of business,” Martinez said.

Hodge said Santo Tomas could open again sometime in the future if the violations are fixed.

“The city has offered different options on how to open. Unfortunately, it’s very costly,” Hodge concluded.

The city and swap meet management go back to court in two weeks for another hearing – one that could lead to a permanent closure of the business.