Who We Are
Vallejoans For Responsible Growth is a coalition
of concerned citizens and organizations who believe that Vallejo’s
development should be based upon a healthy future for our residents,
economic justice for working people and environmentally sound and
attractive development for everyone’s benefit.
We would like a community in which decent jobs are
preserved or created, and the special beauty of our area is valued
and preserved. Our goal is a city of culturally diverse businesses
and responsible development that meets the needs of all, and
compliments the beauty of our hills, wetlands and waterfront. Here’s
to a healthy and innovative future!
What we are doing?
In keeping with these goals, we are working to
stop a Wal-Mart supercenter from being built on the White Slough
Marsh (at the former site of K-Mart site on Sonoma Boulevard and
Redwood Street).
This 12.5 acre site is part of the White Slough
Area, an environmentally fragile and lovely section of the Napa
River Marsh System, that is one of California’s last remaining
undeveloped wetland areas.
Wal-Mart seeks to locate a 168,000 sq ft
supercenter on the edge of this delicate marsh preserve. But
polluted storm water runoff from a Wal-Mart supercenter would harm
the habitat of the White Slough. Wal-Mart is a repeat violator of
the Clean Water Act and has been sued by the Environmental
Protection Agency in 9 states. Polluting storm water runoff is
generated by bags of fertilizer, herbicides, and pesticide products
that are stored in their parking lots. They have also been sued for
illegal discharges during the construction of their stores in 4
states, and sued for violating gasoline storage tank laws in
Florida. (see
www.wakeupwalmart.com)
The heavy traffic, air pollution, lights and noise
generated by supercenter development would also be harmful to the
White Slough Area and inconsistent with the preservation and
development guidelines that are mandated by the White Slough
Specific Area Plan.
This plan was passed by the city of Vallejo,
Solano County, the Army Corps of Engineers, and the Bay Area
Conservation and Development Commission (BCDC) and other guiding
agencies in 1995-6. It calls for the preservation of 523 acres of
wetlands, and bordering development that is guided by the principals
of conservation, habitat enhancement, and the preservation of open
space for public use.
Not only is the White Slough Area an ecologically
and aesthetically poor site choice but surrounding businesses will
be vulnerable to closure from the sales that a Wal-Mart supercenter
will capture (the average supercenter sells $90 million a year in
goods). Wal-Mart designs and runs these giant warehouse stores to
put a wide range of competitors out of business, including
supermarkets, drugstores, tire and lube centers, auto supply stores,
beauty shops, optical shops, clothing stores, travel agencies and so
forth.
The net effect of a supercenter on the White
Slough would be a tragic failure to protect an amazing natural
asset, and a widespread loss of businesses, jobs and needed revenue
for the city. Not a very good deal for Vallejo!
Why are we fighting Wal-Mart?
Wal-Mart’s egregious labor, business, and
environmental practices are causing a serious loss of competitive
market place, a downward spiral in wages and benefits, the
exportation of American manufacturing, and the destruction of local
economies. Supercenter/big box development is destroying
neighborhood businesses and even other chain stores, and causing us
to drive billions more miles every year. (Since 1990, the miles we
Americans drive to shop have grown by 95 billion miles per year!)
We consumers and citizens are the losers in this
system of marketing. Many areas of the U.S. now suffer from an
almost totally non-competitive marketplace, a serious loss of living
wage jobs, loss of locally owned businesses, and loss of city fiscal
revenue. They are further burdened with blight from business
closure, and needless natural destruction due to sprawl, over
building, and supercenter development. Such cities are warning posts
for what will happen if we don’t look down the road and plan
carefully.
Today, Wal-Mart’s immense size and clout gives
them an economic and political power that is unrivaled in our
country’s history. As such, they are the trendsetter in job
standards and business behavior. In addition, Wal-Mart receives huge
building, development and labor subsidies from all levels of
government at taxpayer expense. For these reasons, we are working to
“re-level the playing field”, and protect our existing businesses
and grocery stores. We are aiming for a city in which jobs pay
decent wages and benefits, and in which entrepreneurial businesses
and local leadership can grow.
For further study, here are some excellent
websites on Wal-Mart and big box development:
What You Can Do To Help:
Tell Vallejo City Council what
you think!
Mayor Anthony Intintoli can be left a phone
message at 707-648-4377.
To leave phone messages for all city council
members (except the mayor) call: 707-648-4575
To write city council: Honorable Council Member …
City of Vallejo
555 Santa Clara St
Vallejo, CA 94590
Attend a City Council meeting:
Every Tuesday night, at 7pm
City Hall
555 Santa Clara St
Vallejo
Attend a Planning Commission
meeting:
Every other Monday at 7pm at City Hall.
Call the Vallejo Planning Division at 707-648-4326, to
confirm dates of Planning Commission meetings.
Speak during the public comment period You can let
City Council or the Planning Commission know what you think during
the public comment period. To do this, fill out a short form at the
door, with your name, address, and phone. Give this form to the
secretary of the meeting, who is seated to the left at the dais,
inside council chambers (where the meetings are held). You are
allowed 3 minutes as an individual, 5 minutes if you represent a
group. The Planning Commission makes recommendations to the City
Council on development matters, and their recommendations carry a
lot of weight.
Write a letter to the editor of
the Vallejo Times Herald with your opinion.
Keep your comments fairly brief (about 150 to 250
words). Include your name (no initials), address, signature and
phone number in order to have your letter published. Mail letters
to:
Opinions
Vallejo Times-Herald
P.O. Box 3188
Vallejo, CA, 94590
Email them to:
opinion@timesheraldonline.com
If you want to do more - contact
us! We are:
Vallejoans For Responsible Growth
P.O. Box 4570
Vallejo, CA
Telephone: 707-980-8678
Leave us a message with your phone number or email
address.
Sign Our Online petition!
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