UFCW Local 135 president endorses Sen. Vargas’
Small and Neighborhood Business Protection Act

State bill would restore community safeguards lost
in San Diego City Council’s repeal of local ordinance

San Diego (Feb. 2, 2011) — Mickey Kasparian, president of Local 135 of the United Food and Commercial Workers, announced his support for legislation introduced today by California State Sen. Juan Vargas (D-San Diego).

Vargas’ bill, called the Small and Neighborhood Business Protection Act, would restore community safeguards for local businesses and workers that were lost when San Diego’s City Council repealed a big box ordinance that it passed in December 2010. The legislation also would extend those safeguards statewide.

San Diego’s ordinance, which was designed to protect small and neighborhood businesses, required retail companies intending to build big box stores to submit their projects for review by independent experts. The studies would evaluate the projects’ potential impact on local businesses, jobs, wages and traffic, as well as the environment.

Kasparian observed that Walmart and its developer allies succeeded in intimidating the City Council when they gathered enough signatures to put a referendum to repeal the ordinance on the ballot.

“This is a classic case of wealthy out-of-state interests using bully tactics to get their way,” Kasparian said. “As a result, San Diego lost an opportunity to take control of its planning decisions.”

Kasparian said he was optimistic that the California Legislature would be able to resist such tactics.

In addition to serving as president of UFCW Local 135, Mickey Kasparian is president of the San Diego and Imperial Counties Labor Council.