The Evil Empire At It Again...

[1CAV]

Stymied by Politicians, Wal-Mart Turns to Voters

By JOHN M. BRODER


NGLEWOOD, Calif., April 2 — As Wal-Mart continues its march across the American landscape, this Los Angeles suburb of 112,000 people is the latest testing ground for the company's exercise of political and marketing muscle.

Inglewood voters go to the polls on Tuesday to decide whether to turn over 60 acres of barren concrete adjacent to the Hollywood Park racetrack to Wal-Mart to create a megastore and a collection of chain shops and restaurants.

The ballot initiative is sponsored by Wal-Mart, which collected more than 10,000 signatures to put the question to voters after the Inglewood City Council blocked the proposed development last year, citing environmental, traffic, labor, public safety and economic concerns.

While Wal-Mart has turned to the ballot in a number of cities and towns to win the right to build its giant emporiums, the Inglewood initiative is significantly different. The proposal would essentially exempt Wal-Mart from all of Inglewood's planning, zoning and environmental regulations, creating a city-within-a-city subject only to its own rules. Wal-Mart has hired an advertising and public relations firm to market the initiative and is spending more than $1 million to support the measure, known as initiative 04-A.

The company is blanketing the community, which is roughly half African-American and half Latino, with mailers and telephone calls and is broadcasting advertisements on television stations with black and Latino audiences.

Company officials say that Wal-Mart adopted this aggressive new tactic only after it became clear that Inglewood officials — backed by allies in organized labor, church groups and community organizations — would never approve the complex. Wal-Mart is strongly anti-union.

"We were told, basically, `Don't waste your time,' " said Peter Kanelos, the Southern California coordinator for Wal-Mart's community affairs division.

"But these groups are not representative of the community," he said. "Organized labor is attempting to bully Wal-Mart and its customers. If organized labor and those elected officials they put into power think they're going to attack Wal-Mart, then they better expect Wal-Mart to fight back."

The project's opponents say that Wal-Mart is the one doing the bullying. They noted that the company paid signature gatherers for the ballot initiative more than it pays its average clerk.

And they say that Inglewood will be a test case. If the initiative succeeds here, they say, it will become a model for Wal-Mart sovereignty across the nation and around the globe.

"This is the first time in the country they've tried to do something this extreme," said Madeline Janis-Aparicio, leader of the Coalition for a Better Inglewood, a group formed to fight the Wal-Mart project. "They are driving a Mack truck through California land use, planning and environmental law and trying to create a Wal-Mart government on this 60-acre site. If they succeed in doing this, it will be their blueprint."

Ms. Janis-Aparicio's coalition expects to spend about $35,000 to oppose the project. The Los Angeles County Federation of Labor will add about $125,000 and provide logistical aid in the form of phone banks and precinct walkers.

They are joined by many of the merchants along Inglewood's downtrodden Market Street, whose store windows display signs reading: "Save Our Community From Wal-Mart. No on 4A."

Wal-Mart, the world's largest retailer, has announced plans to build 40 supercenters in California over the next five years, combining its usual assortment of goods with a full line of groceries. California's grocery workers and supermarket chains are trying to slow or stop the company's expansion. They have enlisted the support of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, the Nation of Islam and a number of elected officials and community groups opposed to Wal-Mart's employment practices and its impact on local merchants.

[Woodmonkey]

I don't know how I feel about these tactics. I know that politicians can be obstructive, but theyare elected and can be replaced by the voters. I wonder about the future ramifications of a corporation doing an end run around the elected politicians like that although they are using a legal ballot initiative. It is up to the voters.

the Inglewood City Council blocked the proposed development last year, citing environmental, traffic, labor, public safety and economic concerns.

Were these valid concerns or was the City Council bowing to pressure from lobby groups?

The proposal would essentially exempt Wal-Mart from all of Inglewood's planning, zoning and environmental regulations, creating a city-within-a-city subject only to its own rules.

Walmart today....which corporation is next? Would this benefit citizens or hurt us in the long run?

[AndJusticeForAll]

Oh, I thought you were talking about George Steinbrener and the NY Yankees.

Yankees Suck.

Wal-Mart is OK.

[Caldric]

Well they are using the system so not much to say about it. Guess they got tired of paying off local politicians.

We had a similar problem in Eagle River Alaska. There was a minor but loud group that did not want Wal-Mart here. It was rather silly to most of us because we did want it because otherwise you had to drive 20 or 30 miles to the nearest similar store. Wal-Mart even proposed to build it with the community in mind. They used earth toned colors and put a nice wooden fence all the way around it to match the local residential areas. The loud anti-Store people tried to make it sound like the majority of us were against it we were not. Which showed when they opened and the parking lot was full.

What are the "environmental" issues? That is a catch word and trigger word to make people freak. I can not imagine any myself.

What are the "labor" issues? Giving people a job? Most likely a couple hundred people. Wal-Mart is not that bad too work for either from what I have heard. They have decent medical benefits and such things. Or is it more Labor Unions are *****ing as always.

What are the "economic" issues? I can not think of any myself except for giving a bunch of jobs to people who then spend that money.

Sounds like Wal-Mart got the number of people to sign to get it on the ballot I see nothing wrong with it.

"This is the first time in the country they've tried to do something this extreme," said Madeline Janis-Aparicio, leader of the Coalition for a Better Inglewood, a group formed to fight the Wal-Mart project. "They are driving a Mack truck through California land use, planning and environmental law and trying to create a Wal-Mart government on this 60-acre site. If they succeed in doing this, it will be their blueprint."

What a weak statement. I can almost hear the whine and anguish in her voice as she crys that "they are not fair! We did not get our way!".

Hell just think the birds will have a new building to hang out on top of.

[BrianK]

Quote

[Inglewood voters go to the polls on Tuesday to decide whether to turn over 60 acres of barren concrete adjacent to the Hollywood Park racetrack]

So evil is going to turn barren concrete into taxable revenue. Traffic will be a problem where none existed before? Typically race tracks have traffic, lots of traffic.

The description of the town population didn't describe it as upscale wanting to preserve quaint boutiques more along the lines of preserving chain super markets & their pricing structure. Here in southern Nevada; Smith's, Von's & Albertson's under cut Rayley's pricing in order to drive that competition out of the area. Competition is supposed to work for the consumer.

Environmental concerns. Would idleing in town waiting for a traffic light to change & going from store to store, paying for parking space to shop be more environmentally friendly & cost effective ? Or would going to a one stop shopping center buying from a store that is advertised as econmically less expensive & parking is free?

How does Wal-Mart get away with becomming such a huge successful company? American ingenuity ? American freedom to succeed? Marketing genius ? What ever it is it will be interesting to see if the people want to limit a company to operate. They are closer to the issue & what affects their lives.

[Snowden]

By Woodmonkey:

Walmart today....which corporation is next? Would this benefit citizens or hurt us in the long run?

I live just outside a small town; it used to be the second largest city in Maryland, but I don't know how long ago that was. In 1950 the bridge was built joining the Western Shore of Maryland with the Eastern Shore, which had been settled in the 17th Century and except for a small connection up in the northeastern corner of the state, was separated by the Bay. The bridge, of course, brought prosperity to the Eastern Shore. And changes. New people; Ocean City was now easily accessible and buildings went up along the coast.

This called for a new highway. I believe if there is one thing worse than stores like Wal-Mart for a town, it's the new highways. They by-pass the town, and for a while it is good because the traffic no longer goes through the town. Then businesses start to re-locate along the new highway and slowly the town - this one, certainly - dies. The same thing happened to the town I grew up near. New highway, stores move out to it, old stores die. That town became a small imitation of Williamsburg and now this one is showing growth. Wal-Mart has pretty well closed the stores that moved out to the highway. K-Mart couldn't compete and closed - jobs gone. Other stores have done the same.

Now Hyatt has bought a good many acres on the Choptank River and growth seems again to be coming here. New houses are going up, new jobs being created. And Wal-Mart isn't hurting it really - the jobs there may have to cost the company a bit more, since jobs are being created along the highway and the complex Hyatt is building.

The problem is, if you don't like Wal-Mart you still shop there. You simply can't beat their prices.

By Brian K:

How does Wal-Mart get away with becomming such a huge successful company? American ingenuity ? American freedom to succeed? Marketing genius ?

I think all of these things contribute to Wal-Mart's success - and that it's ability to keep prices low is the crowning touch.

[BrianK]

The Evil Empire At It Again...
Stymied by Politicians, Wal-Mart Turns to Voters

It just occured to me that the title of the topic didn't define which one was the evil empire.

WalMart or the political structure? I read the article again & read it as WalMart using their rights to fight against politicians. Viewed in that context then the evil would be the politicians.

The article cited some concerns but didn't explain in detail. Meanwhile 60 acres of barren concrete would be turned into a tax base for the local government both in corporate taxes & the wage tax on the proposed 1500 jobs the project is expected to create. In this era of job loss & local governments scrambling for money to pay for services it seems like special interests were trying very hard to cast WalMart as evil.

BTW the initiative was voted on today any news about the outcome of the vote?