So what "evil" and "unfair" laws have Walmart's lobbyists helped write?
Here's one that is about to get voted down. (Walmart failed to get this passed through the City Council, so they paid for a petition drive to get a ballot measure.)
Early returns show voters leaning away from Wal-Mart measure
ALEX VEIGA, AP Business Writer
Tuesday, April 6, 2004
(04-06) 22:38 PDT INGLEWOOD, Calif. (AP) --
Voters in this Los Angeles suburb rejected a ballot measure that would have allowed Wal-Mart to build a warehouse-sized store while skirting zoning, traffic and environmental reviews.
With 25 of 29 precincts reporting Tuesday, Inglewood voters opposed the initiative, with 65.7 percent voting 'no' and 34.2 percent voting 'yes,' said Gabby Contreras of the city clerk's office.
That amounts to 4,419 votes against the initiative and 2,305 in favor.
"This is very, very positive for those folks who want to stand up and ... hold this corporate giant responsible," said Daniel Tabor, a former City Council member who had campaigned against the initiative.
Inglewood's City Council last year blocked the proposed shopping center, which would include both a Wal-Mart Supercenter and other stores, prompting the company to collect more than 10,000 signatures to force the vote in the working-class community.
But Tuesday's vote is not likely to settle the debate, which has pitted religious leaders, community activists and unions against the world's largest retailer. Opponents have vowed to take legal action if the measure passes.
Wal-Mart has argued in Inglewood and elsewhere in California that its stores create jobs and said residents should be able to decide for themselves if they want the stores in their community.
But opponents say the Supercenters amount to low-wage, low-benefit job mills that displace better-paying jobs as independent retailers are driven out of business. They also fear the stores will contribute to suburban sprawl and jammed roadways.
Alversia Carmouche, a beauty shop owner who voted against the measure Tuesday, said she was convinced the behemoth discount store would ultimately hurt the community.
"Maybe the store would possibly be a good thing in the beginning, but it will drive out the smaller businesses," said Carmouche, 66. "I really feel it will absolutely close this town out."
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Objections to the Bentonville, Ark.-based Wal-Mart have surfaced elsewhere around the country, including Chicago, where the City Council recently stalled a measure to approve the first Wal-Mart inside city limits because of concerns about the company's labor practices.
The company succeeded in lobbying residents of Contra Costa County in suburban San Francisco. Residents there voted last month to allow a Supercenter. But Wal-Mart also lost a vote that day to allow it to open another store near San Diego.
But organizing a ballot initiative in Inglewood was a rare move by Wal-Mart, said Ken Walker, regional director at Kurt Salmon Associates, a retail consulting company.
Previously, Wal-Mart has battled zoning boards, but Walker said this is the first time he's seen the discounter taking the issue to a public referendum.
Wal-Mart officials have said they have not decided what they would do if the initiative failed.
The company spent more than $1 million on its Inglewood campaign, according to campaign-finance records, while
opponents have spent a fraction of that amount.
The opposition, however, enlisted public figures, including the Rev. Jesse Jackson to rally voters to its side. On Monday, Jackson and Rep. Maxine Waters, D-Calif., urged residents to vote against the Supercenter.
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http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/news/archive/2004/04/06/financial0015EDT0164.DTL
