Re: your Oct. 22 article, "Measure unlikely to stop Wal-Mart":
In this article, Walmart spokesman Aaron Rios said, "It's unfortunate a group is working to eliminate retail options for hard-working families." Is it possible that he doesn't know there is a Walmart 10 minutes away? Surely he doesn't think there has to be a Walmart within every five or eight miles of each other. Who is really eliminating retail options?
In the same edition of The Star, there was an article about Walmart's price war on books. In order to compete, Target, Barnes and Noble and others are selling anticipated best sellers at a loss. Not every bookstore can survive these tactics over a prolonged period of time against Walmart, whose earnings were $3.44 billion last year. They have the power to kill off many of our retail stores, one category at a time. It is capitalism gone awry.
With Walmart creating an impossible parking situation at the Kmart site, Trader Joe's might eventually have to relocate, and it would be difficult to rent the other vacant stores. So within a couple of years, the city could have a shopping center with empty stores, except for Walmart. What a perfect scenario for our City Council, after already making concessions that encouraged Walmart to develop plans for this site, to allow variances so that the original Walmart grows into superstore on Victoria Avenue.
Since the current model for new Walmarts have been superstores, and that is what they really want, only Measure C can discourage them from going ahead with their plans to start with a smaller store. It is an outside chance, but it can happen. Please vote yes on Measure C.
-- Ruth Schwartz, Ventura