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November 9, 2007

Chamber Hails Mayor's Veto Threat And Eventual Repeal Of Big Box Ordinance

City Council Unanimously Agrees With Mayor Foster By Reversing The Long Beach Chamber-Opposed Big Box Ordinance.

On Tuesday, the Long Beach City Council unanimously voted to rescind the Long Beach Chamber-opposed big box ordinance. At a time when our city is struggling to find extra money in the budget to hire more needed police officers and make long-overdue improvements to our city's infrastructure, the Chamber urged the City Council not to spend over half a million dollars to put this unnecessary ordinance on the ballot in February 2008.

“We applaud Mayor Foster for standing with both the business community and our neighborhoods by promising to veto the big box ordinance which we believe convinced the city council to do the right thing,” stated Matt Kinley, Chairman of the Long Beach Chamber board of directors. “The $514,000 to $564,000 estimated cost to put this ordinance before the voters is too much money to waste at a time when our city is living ‘paycheck-to-paycheck’,” continued Kinley.

The Long Beach Chamber, working with Wal-Mart, started a community-based coalition, Consumers For Choice, to collect 33,000 signatures to place the big box ordinance before the voters in February 2008. The ordinance, which passed the council earlier this year, would have prevented big box retail stores 100,000 square feet or larger with over 10% of their square feet dedicated to groceries from being built in Long Beach. The Chamber did not agree with the ordinance because it believes the city council went too far in regulating business in Long Beach.

“The Chamber believes the ordinance interferes with the economics of free enterprise and consumers should not be told where and when they should shop, stated Randy Gordon, President/CEO of the Long Beach Chamber. “The ordinance was a step in the wrong direction for our city,” continued Gordon.
 

October 9, 2007

Urge Your City Council To Stop Both Ballot Measures Tonight!

Long Beach City Council Meeting

5:00pm

333 West Ocean Blvd.

City Council Chambers

At a time when our city is struggling to find extra money in the budget to hire more needed police officers and make log-overdue improvements to our city's infrastructure, how can our City Council consider spending over a half million dollars to put two unnecessary ordinances, "anti-big box" and "labor peace" on the ballot in February 2008?

These two ordinances interfere with the economics of free enterprise, and the freedom of the consumer to purchase and the freedom of the worker to choose.
 

The City Council may rescind the "labor peace" ordinance at night's city council meeting. By rescinding one and not the other the city saves only $20,000.

Now we need to urge them to rescind the "anti-big box"  ordinance too!

Rescinding both of the ordinances will save the city $510,000 which they would pay to the county for adding these two ordinances to the February 5, 2008 ballot.

We do not need to have our city involved with contentious ballot issues that will divide our community!

Contact Your City Councilmember Now!

Click here to locate your councilmember

Bonnie_Lowenthal@LongBeach.gov

(562) 570-1812

Suja_Lowenthal@LongBeach.gov

(562) 570-6684

Gary_DeLong@LongBeach.gov

(562) 570-8756

Patrick_ODonnell@LongBeach.gov

(562) 570-6918

Gerrie_Schipske@LongBeach.gov

(562) 570-6932

Dee_Andrews@LongBeach.gov

(562) 570-6816

Tonia_ReyesUranga@LongBeach.gov

(562) 570-6139

Rae_Gabelich@LongBeach.gov

(562) 570-6685

Val_Lerch@LongBeach.gov

(562) 570-6137

December 18, 2006

Chamber Announces Repeal of City Council's "Big Box Ordinance" Will Go to the People

Long Beach Business Community celebrates as democracy tops special interests
 

Click here to download the City Clerk's certification.

Long Beach Area Chamber of Commerce President & CEO Randy Gordon issued the following statement today, following the announcement by the Long Beach City Clerk’s Office that the repeal of the “Big Box Ban” has qualified for the ballot:

“This morning the Chamber learned that we have been successful in leading the efforts to bring choice to Long Beach consumers to the ballot box. The fact alone that we have been successful in gathering enough signatures for this measure is a triumph over the special interests that were behind the Long Beach City Council’s ban. The people will decide the fate of the so-called ‘Big Box’ ordinance implemented by the City Council.

“On behalf of Long Beach Consumers for Choice, we are proud of the overwhelming support we have received from the Long Beach community. 33,391 signatures from Long Beach residents were collected and submitted to the city -- residents who oppose this discriminatory “Big Box” ordinance. Of the signatures that were submitted 20,613 were required, and 21,214 qualified.

“The Council’s actions spurred residents and businesses alike to come together to put an end to this unfair and unnecessary law that was passed by the City Council. It was legislation adopted in response to pressure by outside special interests, not in the interest of good public policy.”

“We hope the City Council will respond to the will of the Long Beach residents and rescind this discriminatory legislation.”

Background

The Council, on Sept. 19, voted 7-2 to ban stores that measure more than 100,000 square feet and designate 10 percent or more of their space to groceries. Membership-based club stores that sell bulk items are exempt.

Councilmen Val Lerch and Gary DeLong voted against the ordinance, requesting more time to learn about the issue.

The measure could be on an April ballot if the city holds a special election to fill a recently-vacated seat on the Council left by Councilwoman Laura Richardson, who won the state Assembly's 55th District seat in the November election. Alternatively, the City Council could, with five votes, repeal the ordinance.