A March Against "Walmartization" in L.A.

L.A. isn't going to let Walmart expand in the city without a fight. Just got a media alert about a Saturday march and rally meant to stop Walmart from opening one of its smaller stores in Chinatown. They're calling for an end to "Walmartization." Which is a mouthful.

Details:

Demonstrators will include Chinatown residents and youth, community and faith organizations, civil rights groups, Walmart associates, Walmart warehouse warehouses, and union workers from a broad spectrum of industries who have united in a growing campaign to keep Walmart out of Chinatown and make the retailer change the way it treats workers and communities.

Saturday’s event will begin with a rally in Los Angeles State Historic Park (the Cornfield) north of Chinatown at 11:00am with musical act The Billionaires and will proceed along Broadway to the intersection of Broadway and Cesar Chavez Blvd. There, under Chinatown’s historic dragon gate, speakers will call on Walmart to stop its cycle of impoverishing communities and on city officials to reject Walmart’s political contributions and proposal to build its store in the middle of the Chinatown historic district. Speakers and performers will include 2012 Presidential Medal of Freedom recipient Dolores Huerta, U.S. Congresswoman Judy Chu, musician Tom Morello: The Nightwatchman, United Food and Commercial Workers President Joe Hansen, Executive Secretary-Treasurer of the L.A. County Federation of Labor Maria Elena Durazo, Chinatown residents, Walmart workers and other Walmart supply chain speakers.

The march takes place at the Los Angeles State Historic Park on Saturday at 10:30 a.m. Go here for a map.

Walmart Makes It Official: Burbank, Here They Come

Much to the chagrin of a grassroots No Walmart in Burbank group, firm plans are now in place to turn the vacated The Great Indoors space at Burbank's Empire Center into a new Walmart.

Burbank residents began mobilizing against the store several months ago. Now, they're hoping to make one last-ditch push to stop the store, starting with a 5 p.m. rally tonight at the Burbank City Council meeting (275 E. Olive Burbank). Details:

This is it! Tomorrow's rally before the City Council meeting is our best chance to get our voices heard. The rally starts at 5pm. We have at least 2 confirmed news stations covering the event. It's really important for us to make a huge statement and that means we need you, your energy, your commitment and your voices to be there. We'll only be taken seriously if we show strength in numbers! See you there!

Here is info from the Glendale News Press on the new store:

Walmart spokesman Steven Restivo said he expects the company will use all of the 120,000-square-foot building, but added that “leasing opportunities within the store are to be determined.”

Sometimes the mega-retailer leases space to other retailers, such as a small restaurant or nail salon, if it is putting a store in a large building, he said.

Restivo said the company will hold public forums so that residents can share their concerns and give input on what amenities they would like in the store, such as a grocery store or home-improvement section.

They will also discuss whether the store should be open 24 hours a day.

“We want to come into Burbank the right way,” Restivo said.

The dates and locations of the meeting had yet to be determined.

The Empire Center tenants include Best Buy, Target and Lowe's. I'm sort of indifferent about the arrival of this Walmart store. Walmart is a horrible, unpleasant shopping experience. But it's looking to enter a shopping center that is already filled with big box stores, and it's at least replacing a bankrupt big box store (which otherwise would sit vacant), so it's not going to have much of a negative impact, I would think. If you want to shop at Walmart, you're already shopping at the Target next door, so I would think the only business impacted would be that one.

Burbank Residents Mobilize Against Walmart

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Reports that Walmart may move into Burbank has not sit well with several locals -- some of whom have rallied against the store via the new No Walmart in Burbank Facebook page.

Walmart is believed to be interested in taking over The Great Indoor's big box site next to the Empire Center. (Sears, which owns The Great Indoors, is closing both of the chain's stores in the L.A. area.)

According to the Glendale News-Press, Walmart hasn't officially announced its plans, but Burbank says it has little authority to prevent the store from moving in next door to Best Buy and Target.

The 12-acre site, purchased last month by Walmart Real Estate Business Trust, is zoned for commercial use. Changing that zoning would require a mutual agreement between the city and property owner, said Joy Forbes, Burbank deputy city manager.

Walmart would simply need to pull a few permits for a project to proceed, she added.

Walmart representatives have declined to say what they’re planning for the space, and it is unclear whether the company will seek to build a supercenter or a smaller store.

“They could use the whole site or break out the site with different tenant spaces,” Forbes said. “We have no idea.”

The Empire Center is already home to several big-box stores,” such as Target, Best Buy and Marshalls.

Adds Forbes: “Our biggest concern is to make sure [Walmart] doesn’t compete with other existing businesses which are also doing their part to generate revenues,” she said. “But competition is good.”