Mayor Daniel Lurie has ratified a measure to raise stall fees for sellers at San Francisco’s only city-run farmers market by 20 percent, from $50 to $60 per day. The ordinance passed unanimously through the Board of Supervisors earlier this month and was signed into law by Lurie last week.
Starting in January 2026, the city will adjust the fee annually to keep up with inflation, according to the ordinance, which will not require further votes by the Board of Supervisors.
Most vendors did not oppose the hike; it’s just $10, after all. But some did say they want the city to do more for the farmers market, which remains one of the city’s most affordable markets, with longtime vendors keeping prices low for regular shoppers and accepting SNAP EBT benefits.
On Saturday morning, shoppers weaved through the aisles of stalls with tote bags filled with green onions, bouquets of flowers and bags of oranges.
Amid the bustle, Thomas Benzler was showing a young boy how honey used to be separated — hand spinning a metal drum to extract it from the comb — when asked how he felt about the increase.
“Ten dollars is fine. I’m for it,” said Benzler, whose family has sold at the Alemany Farmers Market since it opened in 1953. “But if the city’s going to collect more from us, I want to see that money go into marketing. We need more foot traffic.”
According to a 2010 performance audit by the city’s Budget and Legislative Analyst, the Alemany Farmers Market typically hosts about 110 stalls on Saturdays, including 21 food vendors. City officials say the increase is justified when compared to fees charged by other markets.
Sophie Hayward, the city administrator who presented the ordinance in late May to city supervisors, explained that Alemany’s current rates are well below market standards.
Alemany currently charges sellers 42 cents a square foot, she said, while other markets charge between 50 and 98 cents, “depending on the season and available parking.”
While the city frames the hike as a necessary adjustment, Project Director Rachel Alonzo of the City Administrator’s Assets and Infrastructure Division confirmed during the May 21 hearing that vendors were not notified in advance, and that there is currently no formal process for them to appeal the decision.
“I don’t believe that there is any recourse to appeal that decision,” Alonzo said. “But I suppose if there was a lot of pushback, or if farmers said that it was infeasible for us, that might be taken into account.”
Supervisor Connie Chan, who made the May 21 motion to forward the ordinance to the full board, acknowledged the tradeoff. While supporting the measure, she noted it wasn’t an easy decision.
“Colleagues, it does pain me a little bit, but I think I’m going to be in support of this fee increase,” Chan said during the hearing. “And would like to move this item to full board with recommendation.”
The city’s Real Estate Division will provide vendors with a 60-day notice before the new fees take effect. As of now, no formal vendor outreach or public listening sessions have been scheduled.
While the ordinance passed City Hall with unanimous support, not everyone at the market is convinced.
Near the honey stand, another vendor named Hannah stood beside a friend as they shelled a pile of broad beans She helps run a stall part-time, and travels in from San Juan Bautista south of Gilroy.
“They’re going to eat it,” Hannah said of the vendors, referencing her boss. “[She] hasn’t raised her prices in years. Organic lettuce is still $2.”
Her friend, a longtime San Francisco resident, cut in: “The city’s lost other forms of revenue, so now they’re reaching for every last penny they can get. It’s always the small people, not the corporations, who end up carrying the weight.”
Hannah nodded. “People love a deal. They’re used to this place being affordable,” she said. “We want to keep these guys. We want our organic small farmers. People don’t realize how lucky we are to have them here.”
Lurie out there marketing himself on social media like he’s still campaigning. Laborers all across the city are getting shafted right now while we have huge corporations waging lawsuits against SF, the city where AirBnB, Lyft and Uber built their billion dollar businesses.
Increasing rates for one of the most working class, affordable and yes reliability organic markets in the entire state of California is, I’m sorry to say, peak Daniel Lurie and fascist tech bs.
Balancing the budget on the backs of the hardest working little guys, that’s Lurie.
Of course a billionaire will put the squeeze on our vulnerable small family farms and an affordable source of healthy food for lower income individuals.
Mayor Lurie: make your billionaire palsers @ UBER, Lyft and Airbnb pay their fair share of taxes. Problem solved.