A large crowd attended the opening of the Walmart Neighborhood Market at Lincoln Avenue and Figueroa Drive on March 1, 2013. Here, the first customers surge through the doors.
by Timothy Rutt
The Walmart Neighborhood Market opened its doors today to an enthusiasic crowd in an all-American way: color guard, national anthem, prayers, speeches by local dignitaries, and a ribbon-cutting -- followed by shopping.
The early morning Friday opening of the market was greeted by representatives of the Altadena Town Council, the Chamber of Commerce, and Rita Hadjimanoukian of County Supervisor Michael Antonovich's office.
At the opening, there was no sign of either of the local groups that have formed to oppose the market, who are now turning their attention to the vacant lot on Lake Avenue and Calavaras Street, which has the same owners as the Walmart property and have announced plans to develop it as a retail store, without specifying who will move in.
Altadena store manager Jennifer Gonzales pronounced herself "very excited," even after the long hours of work leading up to the opening and a workday that started at 4:45 AM.
The opening ceremony started off with a color guard from John Muir High School, the national anthem sung in harmony by three market employees (or 'associates" in Walmart parlance), and an opening prayer by Pastor Tyrone Skinner of Metropolitan Baptist Church.
It was followed with a welcome by Town Council Chair Bernardean Broadus, Chamber of Commerce President Ed Meyers, and a certificate from Antonovich presented by Hadjimanoukian.
Walmart also held a "big prop check" ceremony, where they distributed grants to community organizations: Jackson Elementary School received $1,500, with $1000 grants awarded to John Muir High School, Mentoring and Partnership for Youth Development, Metropolitan Baptist Church, Neighbors Acting Together Helping All, and the Altadena Senior Center.
Community correspondent Hugo Arteaga shared these pictures of the sign going up at the Walmart Neighborhood Market Wednesday morning.
by TImothy Rutt
The newest Walmart Neighborhood Market, the mammoth retail chain's grocery store format, will open in Altadena on Friday, March 1, with a weekend of giveaways and events.
According to a Walmart press release, opening ceremonies will start at 7:30 AM Friday, with a ceremonial ribbon cutting. The doors will open to the general public at 8 AM. The store is located at 2408 Lincoln Avenue, at the corner of Lincoln Avenue and Figueroa Drive.
“I’m excited to see this new Walmart Neighborhood Market open and occupy a building that has been vacant for nearly a decade,” said Altadena Town Council chair Bernardean Broadous,who was quoted in the press release. “I believe this Neighborhood Market will offer a positive impact to the Altadena community as it has already created much needed good local jobs and contributed to local charitable organizations.”
The store will employ 65 full- and part-time workers, or "associates' in Walmart parlance, according to the press release. The store will also give $6,500 in grants from Walmart and the Walmart Foundation to local organizations, including John Muir High School, Andrew Jackson Elementary School, Mentoring and Partnership for Youth Development (MPYD) and Neighbors Acting Together Helping All (NATHA).
“This store will be a great fit for this community,” said Jennifer Gonzales, Altadena market manager, in the press release. “The smaller Walmart Neighborhood Market format will fill a need for shoppers seeking lower prices and quality merchandise, with a full selection of groceries and health and beauty items.”
Gonzales expects the store to draw customers from Altadena, Pasadena and La Cañada, according to the press release.
Walmart says the grand-opening day celebrations will include product samplings and giveaways from companies including Wonderful Pistachios, Pepsi, Bimbo Bakeries, Monster, 7UP, Frito-Lay, Kellogg’s, Nabisco and more. Other activities scheduled include face painting and a character appearance by the Bimbo Bear. The grand-opening activities will continue through Sunday, March 3, including more character appearances, vendor samples and events. All events are family-friendly, free and open to the public, according to Walmart.
The market promises to offer a wide variety of fruits and vegetables, fresh cakes and bread, as well as meats, cheeses and prepared foods. The deli will feature a Grab-and-Go section with rotisserie chicken, fresh-baked pizza and standard deli sides. In addition to the fresh produce, bakery and deli items, the store will carry a full line of groceries, including frozen foods, meat and dairy products and organic items. Customers can also print their own digital photos at the store. The approximately 28,000-square-foot store will be open from 6 AM. to 10PM., seven days a week. The store will also offer Site-to-Store, a free service that allows customers to ship online orders from Walmart's website free to the market for pickup.
Walmart says that the store also features a pharmacy, paper goods, pet products and hardware items -- all things which have been a concern to Altadena businesses that already trade in these items, and are worried about Walmart's reputation as a local small business killer. Since the announcement that Walmart was going to move into the location, two local anti-Walmart groups have sprung up.
Gary Altadena's shots from today: from left, the LIincoln Avenue letters on the PUBLIC SIDEWALK; the sign going up over the main entrance, visible from Figueroa Drive, which was still a public street last we looked.
UPDATE: Gary Altadena sent us this interesting encounter today, along with his own pictures:
Driving by the Lincoln/Figoura Walmart site and found workers installing the new signage. After taking a few snaps a middle-aged man named Daniel from atop the scissor lift , barks out "No pictures of the sign going up" Why? "Against corporate rules and it's also against the law."
I inform Daniel that I'm standing on the sidewalk witch is public property and of the concept of public domain. "If you don't stop talking photos I'll call the police" says Daniel. Alright then.
I walk to the east side of the store to find a second sign going up and Daniel is right behind me. "Someone from Wall Mart is coming out." Yep, Her badge says Walmart, Karen Keyes, 20 years. "Corporate meeting going on inside, no pictures of the sign going up." OK, don't need any trouble. Not very neighborly.
For future reference, everybody: if you're standing on the sidewalk or another public right-of-way, you can take pictures of anything you see.
The Altadena Town Council said “no” to a six month moratorium on development on Lake Avenue, or anywhere else, at Tuesday night’s town council meeting.
Following about a total hour and a half of public comments and discussion, where the council members sometimes exchanged tart words among themselves, the council turned down a motion by councilman Jamie Bissner to impose a six month, townwide moratorium on commercial development while new community standards are being drawn up. Despite Bissner adding the proviso that the moratorium could be superceded by the Land Use Committee or Town Council as they desire, the measure went down to defeat.
The council then passed a follow-up motion by councilmember Diane Marcussen to specifically NOT request a moratorium from the county Board of Supervisors.
Councilmembers opposed to the moratorium pointed out that it would be ineffective, anyway -- community standards are currently being updated by a town council committee, and are probably two years away from being put into action. Any development until then would have to be governed by the current community standards.
They also pointed out that, in practical fact, the moratorium would only be imposed on development of the empty lot at Lake Avenue and Calaveras Street. That lot is owned by the same company that owns the Walmart Neighborhood Market lot on Lincoln Avenue. Local anti-Walmart activistis have been pushing for the moratorium, fearing that the lot will be developed into another Neighborhood Market.
Gene Detchemendy of the Charles Company explains his plans for the Lake/Calavaras property at the Land Use Committee Tuesday night.
by Timothy Rutt
The Altadena Land Use Committee -- rather than give a thumb’s up or down to a North Lake Avenue building moratorium -- kicked the can to the town council instead.
At Tuesday night’s meeting, the LUC heard spent over an hour listening to comments and discussing the idea, pushed by Neighbors Building a Better Altadena, that a temporary moratorium be imposed on commercial development above 15,000 square feet.
Barbie Ishida of NBBA told the LUC, “We are in support of a temporary moratorium of large scale commercial development in the Lake Avenue corridor to avoid having big projects get underway while community standards are still being reviewed by the town council’s Community Standards Committee.”
(NBBA’s proposal will only affect North Lake Avenue. Another local anti-Walmart group, SaveAltadena, has been pushing for a separate, county-wide moratorium on big retail chains.)
The Community Standards Committee is currently working to update the rules governing business and retail buildings in Altadena, which were last updated in 1986.
Deferring decision Tuesday night’s plan was for the LUC to send a recommendation to the council to approve or disapprove of a moratorium, but in the end they punted. The committee went with a motion by LUC member Bernardean Broadus, who is also the Town Council chair, that the matter be sent to the Town Council without a recommendation in order to get more community input at the Feb. 19 town council meeting.
The temporary moratorium proposed by NBBA would in fact only affect one property in Altadena: the vacant lot at Lake Avenue and Calaveras Street.
The Land Use Committee will have a full docket Tuesday night, as it considers three controversial proposals:
Proposed daycare center at 3311 Canyon Crest Drive: the owners of the building, currently a single family residence, propose to turn it into a children's daycare facility. The proposal was to go to the regional planning commission in December without a land use committee review, but due to notification requirements that hearing was delayed and the Altadena town council expressed a desire to have it heard locally before it reaches the county. Neighbors of the proposed facility have expressed opposition to the development.
Conditional Use Permit for liquor license: The owner of the property at 2535 East Washington Boulevard is requesting a CUP for liquor sales and onsite entertainment at the restaurant and banquet hall being built there.
Temporary moratorium for commercial development: Two anti-Walmart groups are proposing different moratoriums on commercial development in an attempt to either stall the Walmart Neighborhood Market now under construction on Lincoln Avenue or stall or prevent a rumored market from being built on the vacant lot on Lake Avenue and Calavaras Street. SaveAltadena presented a petition to the county supervisors requesting a county-wide moratorium on major chain store development, which the supervisors said was too broad and kicked back down to town council level for hearings. Another group, Neighbors Building a Better Altadena (NBBA) is floating a proposal to halt commercial development on the Lake Avenue corridor only while the town council is considering changes to community development standards.
The Land Use Committee will be changing its format for this meeting, allowing public comments during each hearing -- usually public comments are saved until the end. LUC Chair Ken Roberts write to Altadenablog: "You will note that I have modified how we will be dealing with each agenda item, in that, we’ll have public comment to each agenda item as it is presented. We are striving to make this a two way, collaborative discussion for each action item. This will allow LUC members to ask questions during each presentation, and provide input from the presenters before decisions or recommendations are made."
The Land Use Committee will meet at 7 PM on Tuesday, Feb. 5, at the Altadena Community Center, 730 E. Altadena Dr.
More than 1,100 people have applied for the 65 positions that will open in the Altadena Walmart Neighborhood Market, the firm announced today.
“We’ve been impressed with the quantity and quality of applicants so far,” said Jennifer Gonzales, Altadena store manager, in a press release. “Many of the folks we’ve talked to are local and have a background in retail and grocery. They’ve been pleasantly surprised to learn about our offerings and the opportunity for advancement at Walmart.”
The 28,000 square-foot Walmart Neighborhood Market is located at 2408 Lincoln Avenue at the corner of Lincoln Avenue and Figueroa Street. A temporary hiring center was opened across the street for potential employees to apply via computer kiosk, as well as a location for interviews.
The press release quotes Mark Harris, owner of Spin-Off Records on Lincoln Avenue as saying, “The hiring center has already brought foot traffic to the block; I can’t wait to see what happens when the store opens ... This is a good thing for Altadena.”
According to Walmart, the average wage for full-time hourly associates in California is about $12.89 per hour. Walmart offers a variety of health care plans, including a plan that starts at $17 per pay period available to both full- and part-time associates, as well as matching 401(k) contributions of up to 6 percent of pay, discounts on general merchandise for store associates, an Associate Stock Purchase Program, company-paid life insurance, and quarterly bonuses for both full- and part-time eligible associates based on the performance of their store.
Walmart is still accepting applications at the hiring center or online at http://careers.walmart.com, The hiring center at 2369 Lincoln Avenue is open Monday through Friday, from 8 AM-5 PM. Applicants can also find a list of positions still available at www.DenaJobs.org.
Most respondants to an informal survey reject having a Walmart Neighborhood Market at Lake Avenue and Calavaras Street, and are more likely to want a restaurant or mixed retail use at the location.
They are also not willing to accept a Walmart Neighborhood Market at that location if it closes down the Ralphs market and opens up the site for other retail
That was the results of an informal SurveyMonkey poll from Altadena Town Councilman and Altadena Chamber of Commerce board member Ed Meyers. Meyers said he was conducting the unscientific survey outside of his official positions, as a "one man wants to know what you think".
Meyers said that he wanted to see what people thought of having a second Walmart Neighborhod Market at what is now a vacant lot. While Walmart is opening up a Neighborhood Market, its small-format grocery store, at Lincoln Avenue and Figueroa Street, unconfirmed rumors are swirling about Walmart showing interest in the "Calavaras Crater," which is also owned by Arman and Mark Gabay, who own the Walmart property.
Meyers said that he received 380 responses to the survey: "I don't know if they were all unique, possibly some took the survey twice," Meyers wrote in an email. "I set it up so you could take it only once per IP address, but who knows?"
Question 1, "Would you live to see a Walmart Neighborhood Market at Lake/Calavaras," was "overwhelming," Meyers said, with almost 86% of the respondants saying "no." (Respondents could also pass on questions, which is why there are fewer than 380 responses in the chart above).
One of Altadena’s anti-Walmart groups is pushing for a moratorium on development along the Lake Avenue business district until new community standards are in place.
Members of Neighbors Building a Better Alltadena spoke at the Altadena Town Council meeting Tuesday, urging that development along Lake Avenue be put under a temporary moratorium until Altadena’s community standards are updated. There is a town council committee that is currently meeting to update the 1986-era standards that govern residential and commercial development in Altadena.
Another anti-Walmart group, SaveAltadena, presented a petition to the county Board of Supervisors asking for a moratorium on large chain stores countywide. The supervisors, not wanting to put a countywide ban in place, sent it back to the Town Council to take the temperature of the community about whether there should be a ban on large development in Altadena. Council chair Bernardean Broadus said that the council will take comments at the Jan.15 meeting, the next Land Use Committee meeting on Feb. 5, and the next town council meeting Feb. 19.
NBBA, however, is only asking for a restricton on the Lake Avenue business district. Citing the change of ownership of the old Blockbuster building, the rumored sale of the Webster complex, and the empty lot at Lake Avenue and Calavaras Street that is now being reviewed for potential development, NBBA speakers said that they opposed large scale development on the Lake Avenue corridor while the community standards are being reviewed.
“NBBA wants to support the Community Standards Committee's research and community outreach,” it said in a Jan. 14 email to members. “We strongly support a temporary halt to large commercial development on Lake Avenue until the Community Standards Committee completes its work and makes its recommendations for updating the 1986 guidelines to the Town Council. The Council will ratify those recommendations and forward them to the County Board of Supervisors.”
NBBA, which has taken a stand against the Walmart Neighborhood Market now under construction at Lincoln Avenue and Figueroa Street, has also expressed concern about rumors that Walmart is looking at the Lake/Calavaras location for a second Neighborhood Market.
A group that wants to stop the Walmart Neighborhood Market at Lincoln Avenue and Figueroa Street said that their search for irregularities in the location's documentation came up empty.
"While uncovering some anomalies, we found no irregularities in the documents submitted by Walmart to the County that could slow down or halt construction of the Walmart [sic]... based on the current (1986) Altadena Community Standards District guidelines and County regulations," said an email announcement from Neighbors Building a Better Altadena (NBBA). "While this is a huge disappointment, we shall continue to monitor this situation, and look for alternative pathways to slow or stop their development."
NBBA was raising $2.500 to hire LAANE (Los Angeles Alliance for a New Economy), a community organizing group, to research Walmart's permit and other filings with the county. Walmart is planning to construct a Neighborhood Market, its smaller-footprint grocery store, at the Altadena location. The Neighborhood Market is to be a "site-to-store" location, where any item available at a Walmart can be ordered and delivered to the grocery store.
In the email, NBBA said that they are continuing to build connections with the "OUR Walmart" organization of Walmart employees and "to people who are working to improve job opportunities in the Altadena area."
NBBA also said they support a temporary halt to new local development while the Community Standards District is being reviewed and updated by a town council committee. Citing the sale of the Blockbuster property, the in-process sale of the Webster complex, and the documents filed to develop the Lake/Calavaras vacant lot, "NBBA wants to support that visioning committee's research and community outreach, and think that their activities can best be conducted in an environment free of concerns about imminent development on Lake Avenue. We strongly support a temporary halt to development until the subcommittee completes its work and makes its report for new community standards to the County Board of Supervisors."
Altadena Heritage took a stand at its annual meeting Sunday to oppose a potential Walmart Neighborhood Market at the corner of Lake Avenue and Calavaras Street, but declared neutrality with the market slated to open on Lincoln Avenue next year.
Chair of the board Mark Goldschmidt presented the board’s positions at Altadena Heritage’s annual membership meeting December 16. He said Altadena Heritage had taken a neutral stance on the Lincoln Avenue location because “it is a done deal, it is new development coming in to one of the most blighted corners in Altadena, it is largely favored by those in its immediate neighborhood, and we felt it would be a waste of our precious time to oppose this one – though we did speak with the developer, owner’s rep, and to Walmart officials and reported our conversation in a white paper.”
The board recommended opposing Walmart putting in a second Neighborhood Market on Lake and Calaveras, however. “This is the historic heart of Altadena, next to architecturally significant Marson Mayberry Eliot school and across the street from the old Mt. Lowe traction station,” Goldschmidt said. He said the county supervisor’s office contacted Altadena Heritage to talk with Walmart and the property owner’s representative, because the supervisor “is not thrilled with the prospect of a second Walmart so close to the first. We would like to take a stand in opposition to this possible development, and we put it to our members to decide whether or not to support our position.”
The membership voted in favor of opposing a Walmart development at that corner.
Walmart has been rumored to be interested in the “Calavaras Crater” as a second Neighborhood Market location. However, Randy Terrell of Passantino Andersen Communications, Walmart's public relations firm Steve Restivo, Walmart spokesperson, has said: “While we don't have any new sites to announce in Altadena, we're always evaluating new opportunities to be closer to our customers and be part of the solution for affordable groceries.”
Clarification: the quote from Randy Terrell was from an email sent to Eliot Gold re: unanswered questions about Walmart from ACONA (story here). Terrell said that it was actually a quote from Walmart spokesman Steve Restivo. While the email to Gold from Terrell did not attribute the quote to Restivo, Restivo has said the same in earlier stories, and should be considered the source of the quote.
Walmart has announced that its new hiring center is open for business today, according to a press release from the company.
The temporary hiring center is at 2369 N. Lincoln Ave. in Altadena. It will accept applications from 8 AM-5 PM Monday through Friday.
Applicants can also apply online at http://careers.walmart.com.
Walmart is looking to hire 65 employees (or "associates' in Walmart parlance) for the new Altadena Walmart Neighborhood Market slated to open early next year.
According to the release, Altadena store manager Jennifer Gonzales said the store will be looking to hire in all areas of the store, including supervisory positions, in full and part-time positions. “We are excited to bring additional jobs with career opportunities to the area,” Gonzales said in the press release.
According to the release, the majority of associates will begin work in early 2013 preparing for the store's grand opening.
Jobseekers line up outside Metropolitan Baptist Church in Altadena for "Hiring Altadena," a gathering sponsored in part by the Walmart Neighborhood Market.
by Timothy Rutt
Halfway through "Hiring Altadena," a job fair for potential Walmart Neighborhood Market employees, Joumana "J.B." Barakat of the Foothill Workforce Investment Board estimated that 300 people had already passed through the doors, and she was expecting 300 more before they would be done.
Former Altadena Town Councilman Tecumseh Shackelford said that the line started at 6:30 in the morning and wrapped around Metropolitan Baptist Church, the location for the hiring event. "We opened the sanctuary so people could come in and get warm," Shackelford said.
Walmart Neighborhood Market manager Jennifer Gonzales talks to potential employees at Saturday's hiring event.
Steven Hopkins, 55, was one of those waiting in line. He lost his job in collections for Bank of America in March. He was hoping for something that would pay at least $18 an hour.
"I'm very positive, very positive that I will get a job somewhere," he said.
Hopkins was an Altadena resident, like most of the people who stood in line to take turns attending workshops and talking to Walmart managers in the church. According to Shackelford, most of the people who signed up put down Altadena's 91001 zip code as they looked into getting one of 65 jobs that the market will create.
The purpose of the event, co-sponsored by FWIB, the Employment Development Department, and LA Works, was to educate potential Walmart employees on resumes and inteview skills that would be required to apply for a job at the market.
Walmart also announced today that it will open a hiring center at 2369 Lincoln Ave. on Monday, Dec. 10. The center will be open from 8 AM-5 PM Monday through Friday. According to a flyer distributed by Walmart, applicants should first apply online at www.careers.walmart.com.
The Walmart Neighborhood Market, a smaller format grocery store, is expected to open in early 2013.
Walmart Neighborhood Market is one of the co-sponsors of "Career Day" next Sat., Dec. 8, to be held at Metropolitan Baptist Church, 2283 North Fair Oaks Ave., from 9 AM-1 PM.
Potential Walmart employees can learn about the firm's application process and interview tips when applying for work a the new Neighborhood Market to open in Altadena next year. Walmart has said they anticipate having 65 positions in the new supermarket.
Other sponsors include Foothill Workforce Investment Board and LA Works. For more information, call Ron Carter at (626) 345-1413.
Now that the confusion has been cleared between ACONA and representatives of Walmart Neighborhood Market, here are the remaining questions submitted by ACONA. Randy Terrell of Passantino Andersen Communications, Walmart's public relations firm, compiled the answers from Walmart representatives and sent them to Elliot Gold on Nov. 6:
1. Do you plan on opening a store on Lake and Calaveras? While we don't have any new sites to announce in Altadena, we're always evaluating new opportunities to be closer to our customers and be part of the solution for affordable groceries.
2. Will guns and/or ammo be sold at this Neighborhood Market? No.
3. Employee Work Schedules? In retail, you’re always looking for ways to best serve our customers during the times they choose to shop – typically mornings, evenings and weekends. This includes scheduling associates during those peak times when customers are in the stores. As part of our commitment to using technology and innovation we’ve implemented an automated scheduling system to create a better shopping and working experience for our customers and associates. Our scheduling system is designed to build associates schedules around the times they tell us they are available. We work with associates to accommodate their scheduling requests whenever possible.
SaveAltadena, one of the groups opposing the Walmart Neighborhood Market that is to open early next year, has announced some upcoming organizing events:
According to an email from SaveAltadena's Steve Lamb, members of the group will join with anti-Walmart protesters at the Duarte Walmart on Sat. Nov. 24, Friday, Nov. 23, from 7-9 AM. At 10 AM, there will be a "local Altadena action," details of which he says "contact us at our website for more info."
(UPDATE: Steve Lamb has since corrected the date to Nov. 23, and said that the local action will be a protest at the Altadena market site that same day.)
On Dec. 1, there will be a regularly scheduled SaveAltadena meeting at 4 PM at the Altadena Ale & Wine House: "We will be discussing using music as a tactic and what potentialities there are for music in our various efforts."
On Dec. 5, they plan to attend the county Planning Commission meting to speak in favor of renewing the conditional use permit for the Coffee Gallery/Coffee Gallery Backstage: "We will be repeatedly pointing out to the Comission the glaring disparity between this locally owned business with slight impact and a multinational chain store with massive impact, who are not required to get a CUP. We will be requestiong the Commission direct its staff to study the matter."
On Sat. Dec 8, they will have a "cash mob" at Jim's Burgers, 2185 Lincoln Avenue.
“When Wal-Mart was invited to address the ACONA open forum on October 9, their Director of Community Affairs agreed to answer any questions posed by residents of Altadena, as long as the questions were submitted in advance,” Elliot Gold of ACONA wrote Altadenablog in an email. “While some of the questions were answered at the ACONA public forum, a significant number were not,”
Gold sent a pared-down list of unanswered questions on Oct. 13 to Walmart Director of Community Affairs Javier Angulo, who was at the Oct. 9 meeting, and to Randy Terrell, of Passantino Andersen, Walmart's public relations firm. During the past 30 days, Gold told us that ACONA has received assurances from Wal-Mart and Passatino Andersen that the questions would be answered.
But to date, Gold said, they have not responded.
The questions include the makeup of part-time vs. full-time employees, what Walmart has identified as the "big issues ...[that] matter to Altadenans and how does Walmart plan to address them."
Also left hanging are questions about Walmart and the vacant lot at Lake Avenue and Calavaras Street. Walmart has said they are considering it but are not committed to it. Other sources say -- with a Walmart Neighborhood Market going in an existing building not too far away -- the odds of Walmart actuallly building a second Altadena market are remote.
Gold admits that his list of questions could be confusing -- it includes the answers given in the Oct. 9 meeting to earlier questions that were asked -- but is not happy that a month has gone by with submitted questions left unaddressed. Gold said that ACONA has to take a neutral position on Wal-Mart’s desire to open stores in Altadena, but “that said, I wonder how many people in Altadena will shop at an Altadena Walmart, based on Walmart’s attitude towards our community.”
Altadenablog has reached out to Walmart's Javier Angulo requesting comment, but none were recieved by presstime.
Update 11/20: Elliot Gold said this morning that Randy Terrell contacted him after reading the above article and said he'd sent answers in an email on Nov. 6 -- timestamp indicates that he had, but somehow didn't make it to Gold's email box and followup was inadequate despite subsequent requests.
KPCC makes a rare trip up the hill to look at the potential effects of the upcoming Walmart Neighborhood Market to local small businesses. Start here with reporter Wendy Lee's overview story, then check out the links at the end for stories about other businesses in the neighborhood and what they think.
Neighbors Building a Better Altadena (NBBA), one of the organizations opposing a Walmart Neighborhood Market in Altadena, is trying to raise funds for research.
According to an announcement from NBBA, the group has enlisted the help of LAANE (Los Angeles Alliance for a New Economy), which agreed to help research and review the permitting documents filed by Walmart with LA County, but it will cost money. NBBA has put forth a $300 deposit to start the research, but must raise $2,500 total for the project.
"LAANE will let us pay in installments, but we have to raise the money quickly so the researcher can get started," the announcement said. If you can help, NBBA says, send a check payable to LAANE (which is tax deductible) to:
Altadena Town Council chair Bernardean Broadus has shared the preliminary agenda for this month's town council meeting on Tues., Oct. 16.
The major event will be a presentation with public comments allowed by Walmart spokesman Javier Angulo and Altadena Neighborhood Market manager Jennifer Gonzales.
The meeting starts at 7 PM at the Altadena Community Center, 730 E. Altadena Dr. Agenda after the jump.
Some local anti-Walmart Neighborhood Market activists have posted a video on Youtube that brings back that old tradition, the protest song.
"Waltadena," written and performed by Alta-troubador and perennial Coffee Gallery host Duane Thorin, shows local familiar local scenes that frame Thorin's lament about the conflict between small businesses and the big corporations.
In the explanation of the video, it says, "Altadena just may fight back...this video has been created to both warn, and to inspire small town residents across America to assert their rights to protect their way of life. The Supreme court says that corporations are people, but Altadenans are people as well, and are petitioning as this film is made to ask that the law apply equally to all. "
The video was directed by Jules Dervaes and recording engineer was Altadenan Bo Astrup.
UPDATE: Duane tells us he hasn't hosted at the Coffee Gallery in about a year -- we need to get out more!
The movie "Wal-Mart: the High Cost of Low Price" will be shown at 2:30 PM Sunday at Altadena Community Church, 943 E. Altadena Drive. There will be a question and answer session folllowing the showing of the movie. The screening is free and open to the public. Please Call Elsa at 626-791-4811 for further information.
"Wal-Mart: The High Cost of Low Price" will screen at First Presbyterian Church tonight at 7 PM.
Immediately following, viewers will have the opportunity to "sign up for small-group discussions about the effect Wal-Mart will have on Altadena, and the entire nation," according to a press release.
the film, by director and producer Robert Greenwald, looks at the lives of people "struggling to fight against a goliath," according to the release:
From a small business owner in the Missouri to a preacher in California, from workers in Florida to a poet in Mexico, dozens of film crews on three continents bring the story of an assault of families and American values. Current and former employees, managers and executives will tell all about the corporation’s inner-workings. Wal-Mart is based on individual human beings, all over the world, at all levels of society, telling their story in very personal terms.
Community members and local business owners are invited to attend. First Presbyterian Church is at 2775 Lincoln Avenue in Altadena.
Item 1:Save Altadena will host "Wal-Mart: the High Cost of Low Price" tomorrow, Sat. July 21, at the Coffee Gallery Backstage, 2029 N. Lake Ave., 10:15 AM (yes, in the morning). Seating is limited -- please call 626-798-6236 to save your spot.
Item 2: Altadena town councilman Brent Musson has some thoughts and questions about Walmart, opposition, and support in an article on his website, "Understanding the 'Save Altadena' movement." Read more here.
Item 3: The mighty Steve Scauzillo at the San Gabriel Valley Tribune contributes some thoughts about Walmart, too. There was a big movement against a Walmart in Rosemead, which went in anyway -- and the deleterious effects that supposedly come with Walmart haven't materialized yet. In fact, Scauzillo thinks Walmart is better than Amazon because it pumps sales taxes into the community. What do you think? Give it a read.
Familiar story: The Las Vegas Sun has an article about a dying mall in Vegas -- the owners have cut down trees, won't light the parking lot, and are letting leases lapse and not filling in the dead space. Who would own such a property? Arman and Mark Gabay of Beverly Hills -- owners of the Walmart Neighborhood Market building and the Calavaras Crater.
Antonovich appoints Bigby: Supervisor Michael D. Antonovich appointed Barbara Bigby to the Sybil Brand Commission for Institutional Inspections. A resident of Altadena, Ms. Bigby is the former owner and director of Bright Eyed Day Care Center. She is also the vice president of the Altadena NAACP and is a member of the African Advocate at Pasadena City College. The Sybil Brand Commission inspects each jail in Los Angeles County, County Probation and each Correctional facility to ascertain its condition, economical administration, cleanliness, discipline, care and security of its inmates and children.
Scholars: Altadenans bring it to education: Erica Slater was named to the Dean's List at Villanova University for the spring 2012 semester. Slater is studying Marketing and Business Law in the Villanova School of Business. Meanwhile, the following Altadenans graduated cum laude this spring from Loyola Marymount University: Alexandria Gamboa, Bachelor of Arts in Screenwriting; Kristen Green, Bachelor of Arts in Political Science; and Courtney Nash, Bachelor of Arts in Recording Arts.
Grazie: Bulgarini Gelato's movie this Saturday is I Soliti Ignoti. Italian dinner is available by reservation only, for $13.50 which includes homemade pasta, salad, and a drink. Dinner starts at 7:30 PM, movie is free and starts at dark, gelato available throughout. Reservations must be made by Friday (that's today) by email at catering@bulgarinigelato.com or by calling (626)791-6174.
Altadena resident Terry Moore advocates showing some love to local Altadena businesses. She writes:
In the passionate debate going on about Walmart’s pending arrival in Altadena, many folks have expressed frustration that there weren’t enough solutions being discussed about the real issues in our community of shuttered buildings, empty lots and a lack of jobs. They have asked for ways to enact positive change in Altadena.
How do we as a community use this occurrence as an opportunity? How do we use this as a wake up call? All of us who have entered into the many passionate discussions going on in our community about this issue share a common bond, we care about this community, no matter if we are pro or against.
Can a Phoenix rise from all of this? Can we use this as a call to action that everyone can answer? Can this be a beginning to a new level of participation in this town we all hold so dear? Can we all start working together to start addressing these pressing issues?
So, here is the first tiny step, the first, hopefully of many steps toward building a better Altadena.
On Saturday, July 21st, there will be the first of a series of "Cash Mobs" held throughout Altadena.
There will be a new cash mob announced here and around Altadena, every week, so that Altadena residents have a way show our support of Altadena small businesses and to further the discussion of how we can all work together to make our community the best it can be!
Hopefully there can be a Cash Mob at every Altadena retail business over the upcoming year. But it is one at a time, and it will take time, so please let us not use this as another opportunity for divisiveness by debating the merits of one business over the other -- they all have equal value. All retail businesses have equal standing, and if all goes according to plan, everyone will be Cash Mobbed!
The first cash mob will be at Webster’s Fine Stationers at 2450 Lake Avenue. ( This idea came to me while standing in the store buying some supplies.)
Go there at any point in the day, and spend what you can.
Over 100 souls packed the house at the Altadena Town Council Tuesday night, and even with a full agenda for the evening, most of them had one thing on their mind: Walmart.
Walmart representatives were there to make a presentation on the Neighborhood Market currently under construction at the corner of Lincoln Avenue and Figueroa Drive,. Critics were also there in force to ask questions, while others asked for favors, such as local jobs, or a market for local growers.
Walmart spokesman Javier Angulo said that Walmart made taken an effort to move forward in areas that need access to fresh grocieries and durable goods. Argula quoted an LA Times article from 2011 that called northwest Pasadena a “food desert,” and that there were only three grocery stores serving 42,000 residents.
One of several flyers circulated in the meeting by Walmart opponents took issue with that figure, pointing out that there were two supermarkets within a mile of the Walmart location (Baja Ranch and Super King), as well as a Ralphs in Altadena and several smaller markets (such as Armen Grocery, Bo’s Altadena Market, and others). The flyer counted ten supermarkets within a one to five mile radius and 11 smaller grocery stores (altho’ Armen was double-counted, as a grocery store and as a “supermarket” under its previous ownership as Altadena Food Fair). The counts included markets in La Canada and Pasadena.
Javier Angulo, Walmart spokesman, answers questions at Thursday night's meeting. Photos by Laura Monteros.
Walmart spokesman is peppered with questions from a packed house, says it will apply for a liquor license a year after opening
by Laura Monteros
Extra chairs and standing-room-only in the Jackson Elementary School auditorium could not accommodate all the people who turned out for Thursday’s informational meeting on the Walmart Neighborhood Market. More than 200 people crowded into the space, and some stood on the porch outside.
Since the Walmart entry into Altadena is a done deal, the meeting was, as Altadena Town Council member Tecumseh Shackelford told Altadenablog, to tell people what’s going on, “to hear from Walmart themselves” instead of what’s been posted online.
Town councilman Brent Musson emphasized, “This meeting is not to decide whether Walmart should be here or not. We’re all one community and Walmart’s going to be a part of the community.” He opined that all the internet chatter was disruptive. “At this point, we can’t stop Walmart, it’s how we work with them,” he said.
Walmart is slated to open a Walmart Neighborhood Market on Lincoln Avenue and Figueroa Street in early 2013.
Town councilmen Brent Musson, left, and Tecumseh Shackelford organized the meeting.
Working locally Javier Angulo, a local boy from Whittier who now lives in Lincoln Heights, spoke on behalf of Walmart. He is the director of community affairs, public affairs and government relations for the retail giant here in los Angeles.
“My passion has always been about equity and access,” he said. “The property owner said it had been hard to find a tenant. No one wanted to go there.” The site is too small for a regular grocery store, but at 28,000 square feet, an acceptable size for a Walmart Neighborhood Market, he said.
Angulo emphasized Walmart’s commitment to local suppliers, which can grow local jobs, and to opening job centers to prepare people in the community for Walmart jobs. “I am 100 percent committed, and the company backs me up, that jobs are [advertised] to locals,” he said.
In a "white paper" that's part of the package, it says: "Altadena Heritage board members are observing closely and wondering where, as Altadena’s oldest cultural and architectural preservation organization, we should stand in the Walmart controversy?"
The first article is a site report where Heritage members met with Walmart representatives at the Lincoln Avenue/Figueroa Drive site. Walmart's Randy Terrell and Javier Angulo were on the visit, along with Gene Detchemendhy, who represents Armand Gabay, owner of both the LIncoln/Figueroa site and the open lot on Lake Avenue/Calavaras Street that Walmart is also looking at. Altadena Heritage Board members France Meindl, Michele Zack, David Mosher, Vivien Fortunaso and and Mark Goldschmidt toured the site, along with town councilmen Tecumseh Shackelford and Brent Musson.
Walmart reps confirmed that there will be "site-to-store" at the Lincoln Avenue site, where items can be ordered from the Walmart.com website and picked up at the Altadena location. Walmart's Angulo said the he thought traffic would only involve one or two trucks a day. The Heritage report says that the immediate neighborhood looks "pretty bad," and "Changes to the blighted corner will be a definite boon to the Lincoln corridor."
The site visit occurred before it became known that Walmart was also contemplating the Lake Avenue/Calavaras Street site.
The second piece is a "white paper" by Michele Zack, who described it to us in an email as "a long and rambling piece by me that includes broader discussion." While it repeats much of the information in the site report, it also serves as a springboard to an informal email survey that Altadena Heritage wants to use to gauge public sentiment on the development.
Altadena Heritage is pointedly not taking a position on Walmart currently; Zack writes "at this point feel we can best serve the community by bringing more relevant information to light and advocating for high quality development. The two Walmart sites are very different: one is a blighted corner of a former redevelopment district, and the other, while an eyesore, is at the heart of historic Altadena across from the iconic Marston and Mayberry Eliot Middle School and the beautiful brick Mount Lowe Generating plant. Altadena Junction, at Calaveras and Lake, was where it all began here and has strong potential to be developed into something all Altadena can embrace. Maybe now that the big money boys are finally awakening to our charms, we can pull together and decide as a community what we want and find ways we might realistically be able to get it."
ADDENDUM: Don't forget that Town Councilmen Brent Musson and Tecumseh Shackelford will be hosting a meeting at 6 PM tonight at Jackson Elementary School. 593 W. Woodbury Rd. where representatives from Walmart will be available to answer questions.
A presentation from Walmart will be the big event at next week's meeting of the Altadena Town Council.
In addition to the usual reports and transferring power -- several councilmembers are ending their terms and others will start theirs during next week's meeting -- there will be a scheduled presentation about the Walmart Neighborhood Market.
The council will meet at 7 PM Tues., July 17, at the Altadena Community Center, 730 E. Altadena Dr.
Representatives from Walmart are scheduled to speak at a community meeting for Census Tract 4610 on Thurs., July 12, at 6 PM at Jackson Elementary School, 593 W. Woodbury Rd.
Town councilmen Tecumseh Shackelford and Brent Musson, who represent CT4610, arranged the meeting with Walmart representatives to present their plan for the Neighborhood Market to be built at 2408 Lincoln Ave.
Shackelford said that it was particularly important for residents of 4610, as that will be where the market will be located.
Well, Walmart as a topic hasn't gone away, in fact, it's doubled.
First, a little conjecture on the Calavaras Crater location: Walmart has four store formats -- the Supercenter; the standard Walmart department store (which averages 108,000 square feet, according to ABC News); the Walmart Neighborhood Market grocery store; and a Walmart Express, a smaller department store with some pharmacy and groceries. Our guess is that the Calavaras Crater is a target for either another Neighborhood Market or an Express, which averages 12,000-15,000 square feet, and can easily fit into the space. (ABC News has something on the Express here). It's far too small and doesn't have sufficient parking for a regular Walmart store, and most department store chains don't like having two stories (the first two-story Target was the one on Colorado Boulevard in Pasadena).
But: another Walmart store of any type? Good or bad? Or do you think it's a dodge, a divide-and-conquer strategem, as some have claimed? Give us your opinion in the comments!
Credit where it's due: James Figueroa of the Pasadena Star News/San Gabriel Valley Tribune is reporting tonight that the latest rumor is true: Walmart is looking at the Calavaras Crater on Lake Avenue for another Neighborhood Market. It's not a go, and since there's no building there would have to be a hearing, but there you have it. Details here.
About 50 people attended the meeting for opponents of a planned Walmart Neighborhood Market at Webster’s Fine Stationers Friday night, June 29, 2012.
by Timothy Rutt
How to handle Walmart: Educate and protest? Or promote local alternatives? And will it do any good in the end?
Opponents of the proposed Walmart Neighborhood Market met Friday night at Webster’s Fine Stationers to organize and strategize about how to deal with the chain’s planned move into a long-vacant location at 2408 Lincoln Ave. in Altadena. Organizer Steve Lamb told the crowd, which numbered about 50, that it may not be possible to stop the retailer from opening a store, but they should proceed as if it were.
Lamb said that there were four missions of the Walmart opponents:
Keep Walmart from opening, a scenario that Lamb said “probably won’t happen -- but organize like it would”;
Organize a community boycott;
Organize as a community to support small businesses;
Try to attract desirable businesses to Altadena.
Citing information from websites,news articles, and other research, the opponents mostly objected to a pattern they saw of Walmart hurting other, smaller retail businesses after they established a foothold. Also raising their ire were stories that Walmart was a low wage, non-union employer who did not deliver quality jobs when they opened up stores.
Opponents of the planned Walmart Neighborhood Market will meet at 7:30 PM today at Webster's Fine Stationers, 2450 N. Lake Avenue.
One of the major organizers trying to stop the retailer is Shawna Dawson. A former Director of Marketing and Community Manager for Yelp LA, Dawson's Sauce LA firm "consults clients on the virtues of grassroots, social, and viral media." A hard-core foodie, Dawson is also the founder of the LA Street Food Fest (the third annual will be held on July 21 at the Rose Bowl). She also helps organize Artisanal LA, a traveling showcase for local small-scale food producers.
"There's a place for [Walmart], but certainly not in a community like Altadena," she said. "My interest is simply this: that I don't think it's good for the community, its small businesses and small proprietors."
A native Angeleno, Dawson moved from west LA to Altadena 18 months ago, in part because of the active food scene here.
"I've known [Gloria Putnam and Stephen Rudicel, owners of Altadena food scene hub Zane Grey Estate] before we moved into the neighborhood," Dawson said. "You have this kind of amazing independent city vibe where you can have that little laxness with our laws , that you can have goats, you can do urban farming," Dawson said. In her events, she relies on local business owners as much as possible, and "to have all that washed away is kind of depressing."
Dawson said that a Walmart Neighborhood Market moving in to the LIncoln Avenue/Figueroa Drive location would mean smaller, local businesses would shut down. "I think it's a short-sighted move to say 'let's do something on that corner' when we're then going to have 25 corners just like it," Dawson said. "I don't think that no one else wants [the building] -- if you look at yourself as the ghetto, that's what you'll be.
"The first step is to impede the progress of this Walmart and make them move on, but there has to be another piece to that -- what do we do with the building after."
UPDATE: Just clarified that Dawson is the founder of the LA Street Food Fest.
Four Altadena Chamber of Commerce directors met with representatives of Walmart and the property owner Tuesday morning to hear the retailer’s plans for the Neighborhood Market on Lincoln Avenue.
Daniel Harlow of the Altadena Chamber of Commerce revealed details of the confab at Tuesday night's meeting of the Altadena Coalition of Neighborhood Associations (ACONA).
“Obviously, the chamber is concerned, because it’s going to have a large impact on business here,” Harlow said. “But at the same time the chamber’s job is to promote commerce in Altadena of all sorts, not just small independent business.” Harlow said that the chamber hasn’t taken a position on the market, but will take up that question at next month’s board meeting.
Harlow said that Walmart was investing between $4 million to $6 million in the property. Walmart representatives said that about 60 percent or more of what is being sold in the Market will be food items. About 60 jobs will be created, and Walmart’s usual ratio is 60 percent full-time and 40 percent part-time, Harlow said. At least initially, the store will not sell liquor, which would require a public hearing for a conditional use permit (CUP).
ACONA: Tthe Altadena Coalition of Neighborhood Associations (ACONA) meets today at 7 PM at the Altadena Main Library, 600 E. Mariposa St. On the agenda is meet Sheriff Capt. John Benedict, the Altadena Chamber of Commerce and El Patron Mexican Restaurant will have presentations, and there will be time in the open questions to talk about Walmart.
Hahamongna Watershed: The City of Pasadena will have a public meeting tomorrow night, Wed., June 27, starting at 6:30 PM at the Pasadena City Yards, second floor conference room, 233 W. Mountain Ave., Pasadena. On the agenda is discussion of the latest plans for Hahamongna Watershed, including soccer fields, the state of the historic disc golf course, and what will be considered in the upcoming Environmental Impact Report.
Pasadena will also have two scoping meetings for the EIR: Thurs., July 12 at 6:30 PM and Sat., July 14, at 10 AM. These meetings will be held at the Salvation Army Fellowship Hall, 960 E. Walmut, Pasadena.
No to Walmart: Opponents of the Walmart Neighborhood Market will meet on Friday, June 29, at Webster's Fine Stationers, 2450 N. Lake Ave., at 7:30 PM.
LA Weekly picks up on the story and introduces an interesting concept: that the Neighborhood Markets are "hermit crab shells." For example, as a hermit crab does not make a shell of its own but appropriates some other creature's, so the Neighborhood Markets are plugged into vacant buildings with the proper zoning so there don't have to be public hearings -- it’s a whole 'nother beast than if you put up a building from scratch.
They also re-quote former town councilman Steve Lamb from the Patch: "We've worked for twenty years to get a small local market on Lincoln we have one and you were not interested before they proved there was a market here. GO AWAY."
Gosh, a small local enterprise starts in a place where nobody else cared to go, and then a national conglomerate sees there's a market there and tries to snatch the mom-and-pop's business? We have no idea what that's like.
BTW, there's a "No Walmart in Burbank" Facebook group -- we're surprised that hasn't happened for Altadena yet, but we have a suspicion it'll be up soon ... like right. about. now.
This is where you get your "Walmart in Altadena" fix. Comment on our previous stories, things you've found, feelings, both pro- and anti- views welcome, but shed light, not heat. Comment away!
It's the talk of the town today: even the LA Times and LAist have discovered DenaMart. We're closing down our other comment threads on Walmart stories to make this your one-stop shop for Saturday. Comment away on anything Walmart or our previous stories right here.
We received several emails on this, and just confirmed it with the Coffee Gallery, 2029 N. Lake Ave: There will be a meeting starting at 10 AM tomorrow (Sat., June 23) at the Gallery's conference room to discuss the Walmart Neighborhood Market. All are invited.
NOTE: we are consolidating all new Walmart comments in daily threads, rather than scattering them all over the place. Saturday's comments are here.
Above, Walmart's video on the Neighborhood Market.
by Timothy Rutt
Walmart confirmed today that it will locate a Neighborhood Market at the Lincoln Avenue/Figueroa Drive location, as we broke yesterday.
According to a statement from Walmart senior director of community affairs Steve Restivo, “We think Walmart can be part of the solution in the Altadena community for residents who want more affordable options close to home. Customers and businesses always prefer a vibrant storefront over a vacant building and we look forward to creating a new option for healthy food in the community. We expect to start construction work soon, with a planned opening next year.”
According to a Walmart fact sheet, the store will create 60-65 new jobs, and Walmart's full-time average hourly wage in California is currently $12.79 per hour.
It's no secret that we are not fans of Walmart -- we have used it in the past as an insult, a metaphor for a large corporation sweeping in to take over local markets (scroll down our "About" page for links to articles in other places where we've used that metaphor). Outside of being a metaphor, we dislike how Walmart treats its workers at home and abroad. So we freely do not patronize it.
But we're also not impressed with arguments (by the kind of folks who think income redistribution will cure all ills) that the family of Walmart founder Sam Walton has an incredible share of the nation's wealth. They do. So what? They didn't steal it with a ravening horde -- it was earned in the free market. You can argue about the details, but we don't have a problem with how they got their money -- providing products and services people freely pay for. That's what it's all about. We've never seen anyone forced at gunpoint to shop at Walmart.
We also look with sympathy at Walmart employees and customers. Never sneer at anyone who's working hard at a job, no matter what it is, and trying to provide. People usually patronize Walmart because it provides goods that they can afford, to stretch their dollars farther. We all make compromises in how we spend our money -- it's hard to bloviate about our greater virtue as we write on an Apple MacBook Pro that may have been made under horrific conditions in a Third World factory.
There's something else, unspoken, about much Walmart criticism. We once read about some activist theater group that was trying to organize a flash mob event in a Walmart -- they would all arrive separately, take a cart, and gradually form a long line of shopping carts that would wend its way through the store like some kind of model train. Not to buy anything -- keeping the carts empty and disrupting the day's business was the point. We wondered, why don't they do something like that in say, a Nordstrom's, or a Macy's? Those are pretty bourgeois stores, but nobody's flashmobbing them. There's also a website composed of pictures of people dressed bizarrely or in bad taste as they shop at Walmart. Why Walmart and not, say, the AM-PM? Well, because it's Walmart!
After several weeks of rumor and rife speculation, contractor's bid documents confirm that Walmart is building a grocery store in Altadena
by Timothy Rutt
The contractor's cover sheet for the Lincoln Avenue site sports the Wal-Mart logo.
The whispering has been going on ever since construction started earlier this year at the vacant, dilapidated supermarket site at the corner of Lincoln Avenue and Figueroa Drive: what's going to go in there?
Biggest rumor: Walmart, which had announced it was going to open a series of Neighborhood Markets, its smaller, supermarket format, in the greater Los Angeles area. Was the Altadena site going to be one of them? Walmart wasn't saying; the property owner's representative wasn't saying. Even though AOL heard that Walmart had contacted the county about conducting an opening ceremony in Altadena, nobody was committing to say that the Arkansas-based chain was planning to put a supermarket at 2408 Lincoln Ave.
