Wal-Mart Remote Broadcast At The Inglewood Public Library; The “Wal-Martization” Of America
Wal-Mart Remote Broadcast At The Inglewood Public Library
Inglewood citizens have placed an initiative on the April ballot that would allow WalMart to build a superstore in their city. Critics view Measure 4A as big business circumventing city and state control over development by placing the initiative on the ballot. They also say that WalMart will bring low-income jobs, with no health care, to Inglewood. Defenders of WalMart say that Inglewood needs the jobs and the tax revenue, and they ask why the citizens of Inglewood should not have the chance to buy the inexpensive groceries sold by WalMart. Guests Reverend Altagracia Perez, Reverend at Holy Faith Episcopal Church, David P. Stewart, private citizen and President of the Inglewood Chamber of Commerce, Bob Rodino, PhD., urban planner who specializes in economic development, and Greg Freeman, Director of Policy Consulting at the LA Economic Development Corporation join Host Larry Mantle to discuss all aspects of the issue, as WalMart plans to bring forty such superstores to California over the next three to five years.
The “Wal-Martization” Of America
It’s just been announced that Wal-Mart Stores, Incorporated will top Fortune 500’s list as the most profitable, publicly traded company in the U.S. for the 3rd year in a row. Wal-Mart is also the world’s largest company, America’s largest private employer, and it has plans to grow even bigger. Over three hundred new Wal-Mart stores will open in the U.S. this year alone, and in California, plans to build 40 “Supercenters,” which will include grocery items, are underway. While most experts agree that Wal-Mart is having an increasingly significant impact on the U.S. retail industry, economy and labor market, one big question remains: is this a good thing? Host Larry Mantle is joined by Abigail Goldman, staff writer for the Los Angeles Times, Ted Balaker, Research Fellow at the Reason Foundation, a non-profit, libertarian think-tank based in Los Angeles, and Goetz Wolff, Director of the Center for Regional Employment Strategies, and Professor of Urban Planning at UCLA, teaching courses on Economic Development.