May 11, 2005

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Publication Date: Wednesday, May 11, 2005

City takes steps against market

By Rebecca Wallace

Almanac Staff Writer

With worries about safety flying through the Menlo Park City Council chambers, the council agreed May 5 to take strong steps against a check-cashing operation at La Hacienda Market.

Since the market has been hit by a string of armed robberies -- and police and city officials say La Hacienda has been slow to make requested security upgrades -- the council decided to initiate nuisance-abatement proceedings against the operation.

If the council finds in a hearing that the check-cashing constitutes a public nuisance, La Hacienda would have to shut it down. The hearing has been tentatively set for Thursday, June 9.

Councilman Andy Cohen pushed hard for the hearing, saying, "So much time has gone by without sufficient changes to make the neighborhood safe."

Near him, signs put up by residents bore such slogans as "Keep the Willows safe" and "got milk? got cash? got guns?"

Councilwoman Lee Duboc agreed with Mr. Cohen, saying that the city could have taken more action earlier. "Maybe we're paying for the sins of the past," she said.

The two were joined by Nicholas Jellins, the only other council member present for the vote. Mickie Winkler and Kelly Fergusson had to recuse themselves because they live close to the Menalto Avenue market in the Willows neighborhood.

The council did leave open a door for the check-cashing service. Council members said they'd be less likely to declare it a nuisance if the market made sufficient changes, such as limiting the amount of cash on hand and installing a time-delay safe that would allow only a set amount of cash to be drawn out at one time.

Many neighbors say the large amounts of cash involved in check-cashing serve as magnets for armed robbers, who have struck the market four times since September 2003.

(Police had erroneously reported the number as five, but later clarified that one of the robberies actually took place elsewhere on Menalto Avenue, Chief Chris Boyd said last week.)

La Hacienda officials have made some security upgrades, such as partially enclosing the check-cashing area and installing a 7-foot-high fence at the back of their parking lot, which blocks access to an alley that could be used for getaways. But they've been slow to do these things and haven't yet done others, such as upgrading lighting and having someone monitor their security camera full-time, Menlo Park Police Cmdr. Terri Molakides said at the meeting.

This has angered many Willows residents, including Donna Chu, who told the council, "Their irresponsible and reckless management has attracted thugs and guns to our neighborhood." She was among about 40 residents speaking.

Other residents, though, said La Hacienda, as the victim of crime, was being unfairly targeted by the city. Some worried that the people who depend on the check-cashing service, many of them monolingual Spanish speakers without bank accounts, were not having their voices heard at the English-language council meetings.

Resident Rebecca Alexander also said many Willows residents had made the market and its customers feel like outsiders. She agreed with the need for a neighborhood watch program but also suggested holding anti-racism training for the community.

"Why should people care about our community when we treat them with a lack of respect?" she said.
La Hacienda's response

La Hacienda owner Ramiro Chavez attended the meeting but did not speak. In a later interview with the Almanac, he said he is very concerned about safety, particularly about possible harm to his employees.

He said he is working on more security improvements, such as installing bullet-proof glass around the check-cashing area, and has also recently complied with a city request to move a bakery display that was blocking visibility through the front window. He is in the process of getting city permission to upgrade his lighting, and said he would be willing to install a time-delay safe.

"If these guys (robbers) come and see that it's not easy to get money from the store ... probably they will go somewhere else," he said. "That's what I'm trying to do."

Mr. Chavez said he has already been trying to limit the amount of cash he has on hand, regularly moving cash from the registers to a safe. He said the robbers "did not take a lot of money," but noted that even without the check-cashing business most of his sales would be in cash.

Currently, about 25 percent of La Hacienda customers pay for their groceries by cashing checks there, Mr. Chavez said. But he said the service is not the primary attraction for his clientele.

"People come for quality produce and meat, not just check-cashing. With or without check-cashing I'm going to be able to make a good business," he said.
Actions spark applause

The council members took other steps on May 5.

For one, they asked city staff to draft a new law that would require check-cashing operations in Menlo Park to obtain a city permit. The permit would be based on health and safety concerns and would require businesses to cap the amount of cash they have on hand, install a time-delay safe, and take other safety measures.

The law would apply to both existing and future check-cashing operations, City Attorney Bill McClure said.

Two other markets in Menlo Park with check-cashing, Mi Rancho and La Michoacana, have also been hit by armed robberies. They are both located on Willow Road, rather than being surrounded by residences, as La Hacienda is.

The council also agreed to create a neighborhood watch organization in the Willows.

The actions drew applause from the crowd in the council chambers and later sparked some positive online response. Marcia Bever announced in a newsgroup that the council's actions were "GOOD NEWS!"

Another resident, Rich Mintz, told the council in a May 6 e-mail that he was "encouraged (and frankly, relieved)" by the vote. He also suggested creating a citizens' advisory group to work with city officials for a security plan for the market and neighborhood.

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