Home Page

STOP WALMART VENTURA COALITION

WELCOME !

Update: June 25, 2009

Memo from Carol Lindberg:

Hooray! On Monday night (June 22^nd) The Council passed one of our preferred versions of our ballot language. I'll really believe it when I see it in print in the minutes, but for now, that's what I think they did. :)

Here is the video stream of that part of the meeting.

http://cityofventura.granicus.com/MediaPlayer.php?view_id=2&clip_id=530&meta_id=21439
The agenda item (discussion of ballot language for both View and Superstore initiative) starts with the mayor at 1:52 (1 hr & 52 min.) into the meeting.

Larry, Ed, KK, and I spoke to the issue. Thanks to at least 24 of us sitting in the audience waving our hands in support of our speakers! (Applause or noise-making is not allowed.) Thanks SO much to those of you attending and waiting for 2 hours for the item to come up--and then through another hour of council discussion! We are VERY fortunate that our ballot language passed on a 4 to 3 vote (Weir, Andrews and Monahan voting against our language) and that council didn't rewrite it on the spot like they did to the Viewshed initiative!

Neal Andrews, Carl Morehouse, and Christy Weir are going to write the "Con" statement (against our initiative) that will appear in the voter's pamphlet/sample ballot.

Another win was a 7 to 0 vote to allow rebuttals to the initiative's proponents' Pro and Con statements. (This week we began writing the proponents' statements for the voter's pamphlet. Absentee ballots will be mailed to voters beginning Sept. 24^th.)

Here is the ballot language for the "Limiting Large Retail [Superstore] Ordinance Initiative" that the Council adopted. It was our second choice - but it gets the job done:

Shall an initiative ordinance be adopted to preserve Ventura's unique character, protect local businesses, and limit traffic by prohibiting new superstores larger than ninety thousand (90,000) square feet when more than three percent (3%) of the sales floor area offers non-taxable merchandise? Wholesale clubs and establishments selling primarily bulk merchandise and charging membership dues are exempt. Superstores open and operating as of January 1, 2008 would be permitted to continue in operation.

PS: The ballot language for all 3 initiatives (View, Large Retail/Superstore and Sales Tax) will start with "Shall". Also, Council voted 6 to 1 to place the 1/2 cent sales tax on the ballot. Only Andrews voted "no" on that one.

**4/23/09**

THANK YOU!

Dear Supporters:

We had a wonderful showing of concern from the Stop Wal-Mart Coalition at the Ventura City Council meeting, April 20^th, when the Victoria Corridor Plan was to be passed. We trust you have received our email reporting what transpired that night.

The Coalition steering committee thanks each and every one of you who participated recently in the extraordinary community response to the prospect of a Wal-Mart on Victoria. More than 350 of you sent emails to council in the weeks before the hearing. On Monday night, 30 of you spoke to the council and presented a wide variety of perspectives on why a Wal-Mart would be a negative addition to our city. More than 100 of you filled the council chambers to standing-room-only, filling out comment sheets for the council to read and enthusiastically holding up signs to indicate your support for the anti-Wal-Mart speakers (applause is not permitted). Some of you were attending your first city council meeting, and two children were among the speakers!

We greatly appreciate your efforts and your dedication to keeping Ventura "Wal-Mart-free." Some of you have been with us for 2 years - or longer. It's a long fight, when you take on the largest retailer in the world. You've shown you are up to it. Please stay with us. The fight isn't over yet!

Sincerely,

The Steering Committee

Livable Ventura and the Stop Wal-Mart Ventura Coalition

**4/21/09**

Ventura's Victoria Plan passes - with exemptions for Wal-Mart

The good news: The Ventura City Council passed the Victoria Corridor Plan with the 100,000 square foot limit on store size intact.

The not-so-good news: In spite of public outcry, the Ventura City Council added exemptions to the Victoria Plan that will make it easier for Wal-Mart to come into the dilapidated Kmart building on Victoria Avenue. .

The Council majority supporting the exemptions on Monday night included ringleader Neal Andrews, followed by Mayor Weir and Councilmembers Morehouse, Summers, and Monahan. The only two who stood with the community against Wal-Mart were Deputy Mayor Bill Fulton and Councilmember Brian Brennan.

With the Super Store Ballot Initiative scheduled to go to Ventura voters in November, last night's council decision side-stepped the voters' will. Last spring, a huge community effort collected more than 8,000 valid signatures to place the initiative on the ballot. The Super Store initiative, if passed by voters in November, last night's council decision side-stepped the voters' will.Last spring, a huge community effort collected more than 8,000 valid signatures to place the initiative on the ballot.The Super Store initiative, if passed by Ventura voters, will restrict Wal-Mart and other new big boxes that sell groceries to no more than 90,000 square feet. voters, will restrict Wal-Mart and other new big boxes that sell groceries to no more than 90,000 square feet.

Monday's council vote delays implementation of the Victoria Plan for 10 years by allowing old ("nonconforming") buildings to undergo substantial "modernization" changes instead of rebuilding to conform to the Victoria Plan Codes. Instead of the "high wage, high value" employers the council repeatedly stated it wanted to attract to Victoria, those entering our city on Victoria may be greeted by "low wage, low value" Wal-Mart in a patched-up big-box from the '60s. may be greeted by "low wage, low value" Wal-Mart in a patched-up big-box from the '60s.

Thirty residents and business owners opposed to Wal-Mart spoke before the council vote. Speakers gave a wide variety of reasons for disliking and distrusting Wal-Mart. The room was filled to standing-room-only with over 100 Stop Wal-Mart supporters. Six individuals spoke in support of Wal-Mart and scrapping the Victoria plan. In the last weeks leading up to Monday's meeting, the council received more than 300 emails opposing Wal-Mart. plan.In the last weeks leading up to Monday's meeting, the council received more than 300 emails opposing Wal-Mart.

Livable Ventura, the citizens' group leading the charge for the Stop Wal-Mart Ventura Coalition, specifically asked the council to remove the loading docks exception from the new language and asked that any applications for new loading docks be required to go through the scrutiny of the city's formal permitting process. Loading docks, large platforms that receive "big rig" trucks, are required ONLY by high-volume stores like Wal-Mart and the grocery stores. Grocery stores have a single loading dock. Wal-Mart's recently submitted plan includes FOUR loading docks, so that it can be unloading trucks around the clock. We learned from speakers last night that Wal-Mart trucks are often longer than the typical big rig and require as many as 3 lanes to make a turn. An air quality specialist also informed the council about the air-polluting power of diesel big rigs and how air quality will deteriorate on lower Victoria. .

The Wal-Mart application to the city is not complete. The Stop Wal-Mart Ventura Coalition will be monitoring and "critiquing" the proposal closely, as it proceeds through the Design Review Committee and the Planning Commission. And we Venturans will still get to vote in November to limit what Wal-Mart can do in our city. Stay tuned - this fight is not yet over!

Welcome to the Stop Walmart Ventura website !

Here you will find valuable information about upcoming events in our community.

Why we don’t NEED or want a Wal-Mart in Our Community!

MORE TRAFFIC Wal-Mart draws massive traffic from our surrounding communities causing nothing but problems for our local infrastructure.

BAD FOR LOCAL BUSINESS Wal-Mart’s predatory practices of bulldozing their way into communities drives local businesses out of business. They don’t care. All they want is to take our money and ship it back to Bentonville, Arkansas as fast as they can!

Our Community ALREADY DECIDED THIS! Several years ago the City of Ventura decided that we would not allow a mega store on Victoria Avenue (at the former K-Mart site) with the draft, review and extension of the Victoria Corridor Plan. Some people seem to have forgotten that because here comes Wal-Mart . . . to heck with what our community says!

WE MUST FIGHT THIS NOW
for our future and
for our children’s futures!

It’s Our Community & It’s OUR Choice!

Won’t you JOIN US TODAY ?