A public scoping meeting about Wal Mart is happening at the Rosemead Doubletree over by the MTC.
There's a public meeting, a "scoping meeting for the EIR" about plans for a Wal-Mart they want to build at the corner of Walnut Grove and Rush. November 19th, 7:00 p.m. at the Doubletree by the MTC. This is only 7 days away. I went to city hall to get details, and they said it's the first of a series of meetings.
Is there anyone doing research and possible community organizing around this issue? My concerns are:
- Low wage jobs lower the standard of living for everyone.
- Wal Mart puts people on welfare programs. They don't provide adequate health care to its employees, and tell them to go to County.
- Wal Mart is anti-union, and also uses low-wage labor overseas to produce its goods.
- Wal Mart is pioneering the use of RFID - the "radio id chip" with some products.
- The increase in traffic could be dangerous for the people who attend Rice school, as well as kids at the soccer games on the weekends.
- The increase in traffic on Delta would be dangerous to the kids who play along the street. For over 40 years, children have ridden down the street on bikes and skateboards, and it's been a running path for Don Bosco track and field.
- Parking is already impacted on Delta due to Panda moving in.
- If the back of the store is against Delta, it'll be an eyesore. The presence of the building could encourage graffiti. The presence of people could encourage drug dealing (the golf course and horse trail areas are areas where users could take drugs - I've found used needles at the corner of Walnut Grove and Rush).
- Finally, there are the usual quality-of-life and property value issues. This is a mixed middle class and working class ethnic community - mostly Asian and Latino - and they are eager to move in because they think resistance won't happen.
There have been at least three prior fights in the area over land use. The city of Rosemead wished to re-zone the Panda building from offices to factories, to move in a telecom company that would make microchips in 1996. The county wanted to move a welfare building in around 1993. Back around 1986, Cal Fed wanted to build a 4 story power plant where Countrywide is today. Each time, hundreds of people in the community came together to demand an appropriate use for a residential area, and prevailed.
I am not plugged into this issue, and wish to know about organizing around it. Please contact me at 626-288-8016.
Original: Wal-Mart in Rosemead