Today's agenda item 16 in city council meeting- much to Council member Reyes' protestations that he is not against business, it looks like he's pulling out all the stops to keep WalMart from setting up a supermarket in Chinatown, kitty corner from the hugely expensive LAUSD Arts high school.
This might be a good thing if only the community interests were at stake but it looks like there's a little more to push him to make the move and that being the non-union nature of WalMart. Reyes, like most council members listens attentively to the call of the unions and the do produce votes from their disciplined membership.
Reyes cited an accident in Chinatown where a senior was run over and thus traffic hazards exist that need to be considered. As for using this incident as being anything to base a ban on a busines, I think it's very disingenuous. One incident does not create a basis for a ban. Were is so, what developments would be allowed if more traffic was to be produced?
Reyes has some justification for the ICO, "Interim Control Ordinance," which is, in other words, a ban.
The jusitifcation comes from the Chinatown community that fear loss of jobs and business if a WalMart supermarket opens. That property has been vacant for years from my observation. Reyes can reflect the view of some Chinatown residents and people to create a protection based on keeping an existing conditon from having competition. Is that a good reason for this? Maybe.
There are others in Chinatown that want this to come to provide services and to be a basis for other businesses and shoppers to come to the area. I think it's not an easy choice but isn't competition a natural function of business. City Council butts in too often and for it's own reasons when it should allow things to continue.
A blog entry criticized this for being against the company and not the business use- if it were an Apple store it would have no one opposed. If you recall history and the notions of protective tariffs that were created to fight imported products, theses are not things that work out well and often backfire in impact.
Also note that Downtown is becoming more populated. Gone is the weekend when you would find it like a ghost town in most areas. Now there's been so many residential conversions to house people there's more need for services which one would be a supermarket. The ICO would be a ban on one element that would serve the need.
I expect the vote to approve the ICO, they vote Yes in over 99% of all motions brought to the Council- and you have to really wonder whether all of the CMs read all the documents since it's going to be a "Yes" vote anyway.
"Business friendly" for new jobs and companies? L.A. is certainly not that.
THE AGENDA ITEM
ITEM NO. (16)
CD 1
CONSIDERATION OF MOTION (REYES - GARCETTI) relative to an Interim Control Ordinance (ICO) related to the establishment and operation of new Formula Retail Uses in Chinatown.
Recommendation for Council action:
INSTRUCT the Planning Department, with the assistance of the City Attorney, to:
a. Prepare and present an ICO, to prohibit the issuance of demolition, building, and any other applicable permits for the establishment and operation of new Formula Retail Uses in Chinatown, which is generally bounded by the Pasadena Freeway on the North, North Broadway and North Main Street on the East, Cesar E. Chavez Avenue and the Santa Ana Freeway on the South, and Beaudry Avenue on the West.
b. Include an Urgency Clause in the ICO to make it effective upon publication.
Community Impact Statement: None submitted.
------------------------------
(Planning and Land Use Management Committee waived consideration of the above matter)
Posts
