Ventura Big Box Vote 2009

[ From: "Ventura voters will decide fate of big box measure," By Marie Lakin, VENTURA COUNTY STAR, November 25, 2008 ]

... the Ventura City Council failed to adopt Stop Wal-Mart Ventura Coalition's anti-big box initiative and it will instead go on the ballot in the fall of next year. It will join the Ventura Citizens' Organization for Responsible Development (VCORD)'s view initiative for a full vote of the citizenry.

Council members all agreed the measure should be left to the voters to decide. "There are so many implications with land use, our tax base and the future of retail in our city. It's something that we need to let the citizens weigh in on. It could affect retail uses 20 years from now," Council member Ed Summers said.

.. The [proposed] ordinance would prevent a major retail project that sells goods and merchandise -- primarily for personal or household use -- and whose total sales floor area exceeds 90,000 square feet and which devotes more than three percent of the sales floor area to the sale of non-taxable merchandise such as food.

Wholesale club stores like Costco would be OK. Other stores such as IKEA or an electronics store, both on wishlists for Ventura, would also be allowed. Another Super Target would not and the ordinance could affect the ability of the existing one at the mall to expand.

Das Williams, a legislative analyst for CAUSE, explained that the exclusion for wholesale membership stores was in response to economic development concerns raised by city staff when they were first presented with a draft of the proposed ordinance. Costco is a store Ventura is one day hoping to attract.

Economic analysis from the city on the measure proved inconclusive. While it could discourage one set of investors, it might encourage another. It will serve to limit some consumer choices in the city and could drive shoppers to travel elsewhere.

THE COALITION RECENTLY PAID for its own study by two economists which concluded the city will not gain new sales tax revenue from a Wal-Mart and it will only cannibalize an existing retail market which is already saturated. "A major new retail facility has the potential to negatively impact current business owners since community needs are already being met," the study concludes.

Another anti-big box measure was soundly defeated by nearly 70 percent of Atascadero voters on Nov. 4. However, that city, which is struggling financially and now operating on its reserves, has less local retail available than Ventura within its city boundaries. It is also a staunchly conservative area, Williams said. It is not known yet exactly how much Wal-Mart invested to defeat the Atascadero measure, but "there was a decent amount of money spent," Williams said.

A poll conducted by the Stop Wal-Mart Ventura Coalition found that a majority of Venturans were not in favor of the retailer coming to Ventura. About 8,600 signed the petition to put it on the ballot.

Williams predicts a battle next fall. "It's going to take a lot of organizing for us. But I've operated a lot of signature campaigns in the past and I've never seen volunteers come out like they did in Ventura."

Wal-Mart Petition 1

[ Excerpt from: "Anti-Wal-Mart group does its job too well," By Marie Lakin, VENTURA COUNTY STAR, August 26, 2008 - Full text and many comments at: VCS: Wal-Mart Petition


THE STOP WAL-MART VENTURA COALITION has earned a place on the [Ventura] fall 2009 ballot for its anti-big box initiative and may have even collected enough signatures to trigger a special election at the beginning of next year...

Coalition organizer and Santa Barbara City Councilman Das Williams said he doubts a special election will be triggered.

"We do not believe that much more than two thirds are valid," Williams said. "It was a tough decision as to when we stopped gathering signatures. If we had turned in fewer, we would have risked not qualifying. We felt better erring on the side of more. The advantage of having 15 percent and a special election would be to have this law on the books before Wal-Mart can move in, but the disadvantage is the possible cost to the city. That's why we stopped the effort early, because we would rather save the city taxpayers some money."

A special election could potentially cost the city hundreds of thousands of dollars extra...

"12,875 signatures is something that we are very proud of, since it indicates the level of enmity Venturans have against Wal-Mart," Williams said.

Wal-Mart Petition

Two recent VENTURA COUNTY STAR articles about the initiative to keep Wal-Mart out of Ventura:



(Image courtesy of www.businessweek.com)



[ From "Wal-Mart initiative signatures submitted - Issue would go on November 2009 ballot; store could open before then," By Kevin Clerici, VENTURA COUNTY STAR, August 8, 2008 - Full text at:
VCS: Wal-Mart Petition ]


Ventura voters will likely decide whether Wal-Mart should be allowed in town — if the world's largest retailer doesn't open shop before voters get a chance to weigh in.

The Stop Wal-Mart Ventura Coalition on Thursday submitted nearly 13,000 signatures supporting the addition of an initiative to the ballot aimed at blocking Wal-Mart or any large grocery store from opening within city boundaries.

The group needs 5,936 valid signatures, or 10 percent of registered voters, to earn a spot on the November 2009 ballot. The county Elections Division has 30 working days to verify the signatures.

A more costly special election will be required if roughly 8,900 signatures are found valid, but the coalition doesn't believe it has that many, because people who sign petitions often are not registered to vote or don't live within city limits.

The initiative would ban any new store larger than 90,000 square feet that sells groceries. Big grocers also could face special conditions if they want to move into an existing vacant store. The measure also forbids "piece-mealing" — moving into an existing store and then expanding.

"The sheer number of signatures should make it clear to the city and to Wal-Mart itself that Venturans don't want Wal-Mart here," said coalition member Nan Waltman, chairwoman of the citizens group Livable Ventura.

Wal-Mart controls the shuttered Kmart store on Victoria Avenue, and coalition members say it's likely the retailer will make a move before voters have their say at the ballot box.

They say the city could go a long way toward preserving voters' rights by requiring Wal-Mart to abide by the initiative if it tries to open before November 2009 and the measure later passes.

"We call on the City Council to formally clarify to the company that they will be held to this new law, if the people of Ventura pass it," said Das Williams, a legislative analyst for the Central Coast Alliance United for a Sustainable Economy.

Wal-Mart would have to get city approval to demolish the Kmart store and rebuild, the company's preference. But it would be virtually impossible to stop Wal-Mart from moving into the Kmart store if the retailer chooses not to make major physical changes to the building, said Nelson Hernandez, Ventura's development director...

The initiative specifically targets large grocery stores but not all big-box outlets. It would not ban a large electronics store like Fry's or Best Buy, or a department store.

The coalition supporting the measure includes the Tri-Counties Labor Foundation, United Food and Commercial Workers union, Stop Ventura Wal-Mart Coalition, Livable Ventura and the Ventura County Working People's Alliance.

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[ From "Anti-Wal-Mart group submits signatures," By Marie Lakin. VENTURA COUNTY STAR, August 7, 2008 - Full text and comments at:
VCS: Wal-Mart Petition (con't)


AFTER A SIX-MONTH EFFORT, the Stop Wal-Mart Ventura Coalition submitted more than 11,000 signatures to Ventura's City Clerk today in support of an effort to keep a Wal-Mart Supercenter from being built on the site of the old K-Mart building on Victoria Avenue...

According to Stop Wal-Mart organizers, the initiative would be retroactive should the corporation decide to put in a store before the voters have a chance to decide on the issue in the fall of 2009. It would then be up to the courts to enforce it.

THERE IS THE POSSIBILITY the initiative could go before voters earlier. If at least 8,900 signatures are valid, it would trigger an early 2009 special election, but the coalition would prefer to avoid this because it would cost the city much more than placing it on the ballot in November 2009, the date of the next regular municipal election. The county is required to report within 30 working days the results of the signature verification.

... Wal-Mart does seem intent on building on the site, but hasn't made anything official yet. The Stop Wal-Mart group thinks a move is imminent.

"We have information that Wal-Mart will receive bids for construction this fall," said Livable Ventura staffer Das Williams...

Wal-Mart Ballot 2009

A large coalition of groups working to keep Wal-Mart from coming to Ventura have gathered more than enough signatures (more than 10% of the registered voters) to put an initiative on the ballot in the 2009 election. Residents will vote on a ban of grocery stores over 90,000 square feet that is specifically aimed at keeping a Wal-Mart out of their town. The petition drive went so well that organizers are asking people to stop collecting signatures because they do not want to go over the 15% threshold which would force an expensive special election.

"We were told a special election could be as much as $400,000 and we thought, Whoa, that's not good government,'" said Ed Lacey, a local attorney and spokesman for Livable Ventura, one of half a dozen citizen and union groups backing the measure. "We don't want to put the city and taxpayers in that spot."

...

"We don't want Ventura to have less (city) services because we forced a special election," supporter Das Williams said...

(for details on this item, click the posting title "Wal-Mart Ballot 2009")

Wal-Mart Eyes Ventura

[ Excerpt from: "Wal-Mart may revamp Ventura plans - Big box retailer may limit scope to avoid environmental review," By Bill Lascher, VENTURA COUNTY REPORTER, 06/05/2008 ]

... representatives from Wal-Mart have approached the city about changing its plans for a proposed store off Victoria Avenue... at the former site of Kmart, which closed in January. Previously the company expressed interest in demolishing the current building to build a Supercenter — which would include a large grocery section in addition to its regular discount merchandise — at the site, where it already holds a lease. Such a move would require Wal-Mart to seek a conditional use permit, conduct an environmental review and prove its plans would properly mesh with the city’s general plan and New Urbanist design principles.

Now it appears the company may be considering scaling down its plans. In recent phone conversations with the city, the company reportedly asked about the possibility of reusing the existing building and what would be required of it for the tenant improvement process. Such a move could mean the store would avoid a contentious environmental review and pursue only standard business permits, such as those needed for a new sign, repainting of the building’s exterior and a certificate of occupancy...

Wal-Mart is not without its local opponents... and backers of a ballot initiative that if passed would restrict its opportunities to operate in Ventura say they are close to getting the measure on the ballot for the Nov. 4 election. The measure circulated by the Stop Wal-Mart Coalition wouldn’t actually single out the retailer, but it would prevent any store larger than 90,000 square feet from devoting more than 3 percent of its sales area to selling nontaxable merchandise. The coalition doesn’t think its efforts will be hampered by a shift in Wal-Mart’s plans.

Das Williams, an organizer of the Stop Wal-Mart Coalition and legislative analyst for the group Coastal Alliance United for a Sustainable Economy, said mid-level city staffers have told his group Wal-Mart is asking questions that might minimize the city’s discretion over a project. Even if Wal-Mart does seek simply to re-occupy the Kmart site without altering the building, the basic permits could take months to process.

“That gives us even more of a reason to get this qualified as soon as we can,” Williams said. “That being said, we don’t want to rush and submit our signatures before we are ready.”

The coalition is verifying each signature it has received before turning the measure over to county elections officials. Williams said he expects the verification to be finished sometime early this summer.

“The initiative will definitely qualify for the ballot before Wal-Mart moves in,” Williams said.

Even if Wal-Mart abandoned the possibility of constructing a new building, Williams said he doesn’t expect the initiative to be toothless because of the prohibition of non-taxable sales over a certain percentage.

“We’re also asking the city to make it clear to Wal-Mart if they do come in that this initiative might come in, and if it passes they would be required to change or move out after they’ve moved in,” Williams said.

City staff cannot specifically support or oppose a Wal-Mart store on the basis of its brand alone. Instead, [Nelson Hernandez, Ventura’s community development director] said, the municipality’s responsibility is to determine whether a property meets local ordinances and meshes with the city’s overall planning goals...

Ventura planning officials are in the midst of developing a vision for the Victoria Avenue corridor, and Wal-Mart would have to meet standards that are consistent with urban design ideals city leaders have adopted throughout town...

Ventura Unmet Transpo Needs

[ Excerpt from "Transit panel hears concerns by public - Commission evaluates funding for such needs as extra buses," By Scott Hadly, VENTURA COUNTY STAR, February 5, 2008 ]

Listening to bus riders and combing over gaps in service, the Ventura County Transportation Commission examined "unmet transit needs" during a public meeting...

... headed by Supervisors Kathy Long and John Flynn...

Das Williams, a member of the Central Coast Alliance United for a Sustainable Economy, said that a new express bus from Oxnard to Ojai also should be expanded.

"There's only one a day, and it's more than full," said Williams, who is also a city councilman in Santa Barbara.

The express bus was added last year to help many workers who cannot afford to live in Ojai as a way to get from their Oxnard homes to their jobs. Many work at the Ojai Valley Inn...

The public can comment on the unmet transit needs by mail, e-mail or phone.

People can write to Ventura County Transportation Commission, Unmet Transit Needs Process, 950 County Square Drive, Suite 207, Ventura CA 93003. E-mails should be sent to vkamhi@goventura.org or through the commission's Web site at

http://www.goventura.org. Phone calls can be made toll free to 800-438-1112.

After the close of the comment period, the commission will draft a document on the unmet transit needs that will be available for review on April 21.

Fighting Wal-Mart in Ventura

Santa Barbara's KEYT-TV recently covered the petition drive aimed at keeping Wal-Mart out of Ventura. Das is an organizer for CAUSE and he was there:

No Wal-Mart in Ventura

Living Wage Test in Ventura

[ Excerpt from: "Laundry workers press county to back protest," By Tony Biasotti, VENTURA COUNTY STAR, September 26, 2007 ]


A strike by laundry workers could leave Ventura County employees without clean uniforms, as well as test a county ordinance that aims to guarantee a "living wage" at companies that contract with the county.

Union employees at Prudential Overall Supply are on strike up and down the state, demanding better wages and working conditions. They also have accused their employer of labor law violations.

Prudential cleans uniforms, lab coats, towels, mops and other equipment for Ventura County agencies at company locations in Moorpark and Van Nuys. There are about 200 county workers who wear the uniforms, and the contract totals about $120,000 a year.

Strikes have been authorized at every Prudential plant but are being carried out gradually. There have been no interruptions so far in service to Ventura County, but the county could find its orders delayed or even unfilled if the strike continues.

In the meantime, the county is taking a "wait-and-see approach" on talks for a new contract with Prudential because of the uncertainty in its labor situation, said Rosa Ceniceros, a procurement manager with the county. Prudential's current contract expires at the end of October, she said.

On Tuesday, about 15 union members and a handful of organizers addressed the Ventura County Board of Supervisors, asking them to pressure Prudential's owners to offer a more generous contract. If that doesn't happen, the county should consider dropping its business with Prudential, they said...

Not a single union worker in the Van Nuys plant makes the $11 an hour wage that the county has set as its minimum "living wage" for businesses that contract to provide services, said Brian Callaci, an analyst with Unite Here, the union representing Prudential workers.

However, the living wage applies only to "services," and the county considers Prudential a provider of "goods" instead, because the company actually owns the uniforms and supplies and rents them to the county.

The living wage also doesn't apply because companies are allowed to pay less if they negotiate their wages with a union, as Prudential does.

Das Williams, a Santa Barbara city councilman and activist on behalf of living wage laws, told the board that it should strengthen the county's law so that it applies to Prudential.

"This is a good example of a company who's flouting the living wage laws," he said.

Other cities and counties that do business with Prudential have different living wage laws. The city of San Diego recently announced that it would terminate its contract with Prudential because of low wages, and other cities are investigating their contracts, Callaci said.

The supervisors took no action on the matter Tuesday but said they may revisit it at a future meeting.

Wal-Mart in Ventura?

[ Excerpt from "Wal-Mart debate rolls back in Ventura - Opponents of big box stores gather as city council elections loom" By Matthew Singer, VC REPORTER, 27 September 2007 ]

Indicating that the debate over big box stores coming to Ventura is far from over, members of the Stop Wal-Mart Coalition gathered at the Unitarian Universalist Church on Sept. 26 to discuss the still looming possibility of the controversial retail chain establishing itself along Victoria Avenue.

And with the city council election little more than a month away, opponents of the company believe the time is now to let the candidates know that the approval.

"We feel we have received good cooperation from the city in the past, but the answer we�re hearing is, �'We�d love to stop Wal-Mart, but we can�t,'"� �said Das Williams, staff person for Livable Ventura, the group that organized the meeting. �"We want to make it clear to the city that Ventura as a whole doesn�'t just want Wal-Mart stopped but it demands [the city] do something about stopping Wal-Mart, and there are legal tools in place to stop further big box development in the Victoria corridor."�

Wal-Mart, which already has stores in Oxnard and Simi Valley, first broached the idea of building an outlet at 1739 S. Victoria Ave. � a space currently occupied by Kmart � two years ago. The company�'s latest proposal is for a 150,000 square foot �supercenter,� with grass and a fountain in front of the facility and an underground parking lot beneath it...

Williams said the store would increase traffic and create more low-wage jobs while taking up space that could be used to meet Ventura�'s housing demands. He said the city could demand Wal-Mart provide housing for its employees, �at the very least.� He referred to the company as a potential �black hole to Ventura business� that would end up driving out many local, independently owned stores.

"It�'s something negative for Venturans,"� Williams said, �"not just socially but economically and environmentally."�

[Ventura city official] Cole said Wal-Mart would, under law, conduct a full environmental impact report and is committing to constructing a �green� store. Williams countered that the company has not specified what it means when it promises an eco-friendly building. Under basic Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification, it could be simply �decent insulation and bike racks...

Williams said the Stop Wal-Mart Coalition will hold at least two more meetings prior to the Nov. 6 election.

Meanwhile, Cole said it has been about four months since the city heard anything new from Wal-Mart. He said it could take up to a year before any ground would be broken on a new store from the day its application is finally submitted. But he added the city has not yet taken a stance either way on the Wal-Mart issue...

Barney on Elections

[ Excerpt from: "Election Races and Solitary Confinement," Barney Brantingham's "On The Beat" Column in the SB INDEPENDENT, May 24, 2007 ]


... With three incumbent Santa Barbara City Councilmembers running for reelection this year, savvy politicos are already looking ahead to the Big Enchilada in 2009: the mayoral race.

As of now, it looks like an alpha female head-to-head between councilmembers Helene Schneider and Iya Falcone. Both have made it clear they plan to run and each figures to be backed by serious support from local groups. (In Iya’s case, the powerful police and fire unions.)

The race, City Hall sources forecast, will not be a tea party. In fact, word around town is two major women Democratic politicos are said to be considering not endorsing fellow democrat Helene because they don’t want to help her chances against their candidate of two years hence, Iya. This promises to be ugly.

Up for reelection this year are councilmembers Schneider; Das Williams, who’ll kick off his campaign next Tuesday at noon at the Arroyo Burro Creek renovation project and a 4:30 p.m. party at Arnoldi’s Café (600 Olive St.)...

Williams has been spending time in the City of Ventura fighting Wal-Mart’s attempted invasion, among other things. This leads some to speculate he might be eyeing an eventual State Assembly race, but not until democratic incumbent Pedro Nava moves on. (The district includes Ventura and Santa Barbara counties.)



For full text of Barney's column, please go to:

SBI: Barney, May 24th

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NOTE from Das' Dad: Barney's probably got inside information I do not have. But, one thing I know is that Das isn't down in Ventura fighting Wal-Mart because he is planning a State Assembly race. In addition to his work on the Santa Barbara City Council, Das is also a political consultant for CAUSE, in Ventura. His work there -- while consistent with his political beliefs and positions -- is mostly related to his livelihood.