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Non-Tech : Costco, slow but sure? -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Leeza Rodriguez who wrote (950)	9/22/1999 10:18:00 PM
From: Mel Fox	Respond to of 1147

All: Here is some GOOD NEWS!! Wednesday September 22, 9:10 pm Eastern Time California Clears Retail Giants SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) -- Gov. Gray Davis vetoed a bill that would bar new superstores such as Costco from being built in California. The way the Legislature handled the bill was ``deplorable,' Davis said Wednesday at a news conference. Lawmakers pushed the measure through by waiving rules designed to provide several public hearings. A coalition of supermarkets and labor unions developed the bill in the final days of the Legislature's session, contending such retailers would run local grocers out of business and reduce wages and benefits. The proposal was the first attempt by a state to resist ``big-box' stores -- giant retailers such as Costco Wal-Mart, Kmart and Target. The bill would have banned local governments from approving new retail stores with more than 100,000 square feet and more than 15,000 square feet of nontaxable merchandise, such as groceries and prescription drugs. ``This veto is a victory for consumers, for California families who want good prices and the right to choose where they shop,' said Wal-Mart spokeswoman Cynthia Lin. ``Through letters, petitions and phone calls, Californians sent a loud and clear message to the governor.' The governor said he was less troubled by the substance of the bill than by the fact that it materialized the last week of the legislative session, with very little review by legislative committees. ``When you make major public policy changes, they should be subject to public scrutiny and have the benefit of policy committee hearings in both houses,' Davis said.