Wal-Mart Supercenter Banned In San Diego

After opening the Christmas shopping season with disappointing sales numbers, Wal-Mart has gotten some more bad news. Last Tuesday, the San Diego City Council voted 5-3 to ban all stores with more than 90,000 square feet that use 10% of their space to sell groceries and other non-taxable items. The ban was aimed at preventing the building of huge Wal-Mart Supercenters in the city.

Art Castanares, who has long advocated for the ban, said, "The issues haven't changed. It's still about visual blight of the large unattractive boxes. It's still about the lack of landscaping and open space and acres of parking and the devestation of the local economy when you build these huge stores."

The Mayor, Jerry Sanders, has said he would veto the council's decision. Sanders said, "We would in essence be telling retailers that we don't want you here, that San Diego doesn't have a business-friendly enviornment." The mayor is just wrong. The action actually is business-friendly, and tells other retailers that the city won't let them be run out of business by a big-box retailer that abuses its employees with low wages and no benefits.

Fortunately, the mayor's veto can be overridden with the 5 votes that opponents already have on the council.

Wal-Mart says they are studying their options, and could instigate legal action. But the council's ban was modeled after a ban passed inTurlock, California. That ban has already been found to be legal by the state's highest court.

Looks like the tide may be turning against Wal-Mart.