Big Story in 8/30 San Gabriel Valley Tribune

Submitted by Todd Kunioka on Wed, 08/30/2006 - 15:51
in

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.

 

But, as a Rosemead voter, I know that the recall is about more than whether or not the Supercenter will open.  We need to be worried about what'll happen, next.  When Wal-Mart comes back to the city council in a few months and says they need to operate 24-hours, or they want their 24-hour liquor license, or permission to accept deliveries after 10pm, or permission to let RV's park overnight in their parking lot, or a change to any one of the dozens of conditions of approval or mitigation measures, who's interest will Rosemead's City Council reflect?  Will they reflect the will of the people, or will they reflect the will of the out-of-town mega-corporation that, by the time this is all over, will likely have spent $400,000 to keep the old majority in office?

 

And, besides Wal-Mart, which city council do you want:  The one that hopes to bring Rosemead up to par in comparison with neighboring cities, or the one that has created the backwards berg we live in today?

 

I addressed a number of these issues in a long letter I posted here last night, in response to a resident who e-mailed this website with a complaint.  But it looks like that attachment went away.  So anyone interested, e-mail me at socrosemead@yahoo.com and I'll send it to you.

 

[ed--I fixed the e-mail link above.  Sorry for any inconvenience]