http://www.sgvtribune.com/news/ci_4322758

This story appeared in the September 12, 2006 San Gabriel Valley Tribune.  The story begins:

"Wal-Mart has poured a record $200,000 into the campaign effort to keep two City Council members from being ousted in a recall election next week, campaign finance records show."

Jay and Gary are seeking to retain their seats on the Rosemead City Council.  But they have to contend with some inconvenient truths:

                                 ROSEMEAD    Alhambra   Montebello   El Monte

I was cruising the Internet and came across this post:

http://www.snagmagazine.com/index.php?s=23&a=56

It's mostly about our Moms vs. Wal-Mart protest, but it's written much more colorfully than the posts on our own site.  Just more evidence that we're a real grassroots organization.  Mike Lewis would never be able to get someone like this to write for him!

The ground campaign continues.  We are fielding what I think are pretty good numbers of walkers (won't say exactly how many walkers--no sense giving Wal-Mart and their sock puppets anything more than I need to).  In fact, I would be willing to bet real money that it's been at least thirty years since Jay and Gary had as many people walking for them as we have walking for us.

The difference is that we're going up against the world's largest retailer.  That's what has so many of us worried.  If it were just us going up against Jay and Gary, this would be a slam dunk.  But they've sold their souls to Wal-Mart.  And, much as I might despise Wal-Mart, it's true that they'll take care of the ones they own.

http://www.sgvtribune.com/news/ci_4259116

Headline:  "Wal-Mart to open in 'early fall'"

Sub-headline:  "Recall efforts may not stop Supercenter"

Of course, personally, I'd be thrilled if we could keep the Supercenter from opening.  Wal-Mart has been absolutely flaunting the mitigation measures and conditions of approval that they agreed to when the city council majority gave them permission to build.  They have shown themselves to be a bad neighbor, and a neighbor who can not be trusted to keep their word.  In violating the conditions of approval, the new city council would be fully within its rights to yank the approval.  Or they could choose another way to hold Wal-Mart accountable for their actions.

Folks, we've recently become aware that one of the Wal-Mart front groups in Rosemead is offering jobs paying as much as $14/hour to walk precincts for them in Rosemead.  Of course, they're already paying people to make those fake "survey" phone calls to Rosemead voters.  And when they start making explicitly political phone calls in a few weeks, it will again be paid employees interrupting everyone's dinner.  Guess this really puts the lie to their claim that there's some great groundswell of support for their Supercenter in Rosemead:  They need to pay people to do what we're willing to do for free.

http://www.sgvtribune.com/ci_4129161

California's Attorney General, Bill Lockyer, filed an amicus curiae brief in support of Save Our Community's suit that challenged Wal-Mart's sham environmental impact report of last year.  The case is currently pending before a California state appellate court.

That's big news for us because now it means that the travesty perpetrated on Rosemead residents when our city council ratified a flawed and incomplete environmental impact report has now been recognized at the highest levels of California's government.

Julie has already sent out an e-mail to our members this, but for those of you not already on our e-mail list, let me tell you that the first weekend of our precinct walking was a huge success.  The clubhouse was packed on Saturday morning, where we got a rousing send-off from many of our local elected officials.

I understand we had a steady stream of walkers passing through the area on Sunday, as well.