Empire Center

The Burbank City Council this week cleared the way for Walmart to open a new store near the Empire Center, leaving opponents with few options other than legal action to stop the world's largest retailer from moving in. On Tuesday, more than 100 people - bolstered by the support of labor unions - rallied outside City Hall and then crammed into the council chambers to protest the planned Walmart. The show of opposition failed to sway city officials, who say zoning codes allow the Walmart to open so there's little they can do. Opponents have been trying to force Walmart to conduct an economic impact review and the city to carry out major improvements to road infrastructure around the former Great Indoors site before approving the building plans.

Opponents of a planned Walmart in Burbank drew upon the strength of unions Tuesday night to give the noisiest local protest yet to the mega-retailer. More than 100 people, bolstered by the organized support of labor unions, swarmed outside Burbank City Hall before the City Council meeting, using a loudspeaker to sound off on the idea of a Walmart next to the Empire Center. In a show of how the labor movement has latched on to the cause, about 30 members of Warehouse Workers United - which advocates for better working conditions in Inland Empire distribution centers - marched down Olive Avenue to the beat of a snare drum to join the protest.

Opponents of a planned Walmart in Burbank drew upon the strength of unions Tuesday night to give the noisiest local protest yet to the mega-retailer. More than 100 people, bolstered by the organized support of labor unions, swarmed outside Burbank City Hall before the City Council meeting, using a loudspeaker to sound off on the idea of a Walmart next to the Empire Center. In a show of how the labor movement has latched on to the cause, about 30 members of Warehouse Workers United - which advocates for better working conditions in Inland Empire distribution centers - marched down Olive Avenue to the beat of a snare drum to join the protest.

While we appreciate the overwhelming support we have received from Burbank residents, elected officials and stakeholders over the past few months, it's clear that a handful of special interests are attempting to misinform readers by peddling the same old urban myths about our company. As we move closer to opening our first store in Burbank, we thought it was appropriate to share some feedback from people who actually live in the city - as well as some facts about our company - in an effort set the record straight (“Walmart concerns grow,” Feb. 4)

When the whole ruckus started months ago about the terror of adding Walmart to a shopping center that already has a Target, Lowe's, and BevMo, I wrote a letter to the editor pointing out that the protest was union driven because of Walmart's policy of not permitting labor organization of their staff. The letter was not published, I am sure for a good reason. Now we see the iceberg as the United Food and Commercial Workers Union, Local 770, sends its legal team into Burbank to fight the store on the basis it sells groceries (“Attorney threatens to sue over Walmart,” Jan. 28)

It's a scene that I've watched a dozen or so times, even relived at Disneyland: Indiana Jones and his partner snake through a jungle temple to find a lost golden idol, then are chased out again by booby traps and a giant boulder. The iconic opening of “Raiders of the Lost Ark” solidified Indy in movie history and simultaneously granted the wishes of geeks like me who wanted to see what would come of a union between George Lucas and Steven Spielberg at the peak of their careers.

I will try to cover everything. The area where Walmart is going to be located is isolated from the rest of the Empire Center. They have their own large parking lot and traffic is always awful in that area. It's hard to find American-made items at Walmart? It's hard to find American made items at any store. The U.S. may view China with suspicion, but it's our corporations sending the work over there. Encourage workers to go to the emergency room? The person still has to pay for it, out of pocket.

A future Walmart in Burbank dominated the public discourse in 2011, sparking protests at City Hall, new Facebook pages opposing the retailer's move into the city and divided opinions among residents - and it's only just begun. Walmart is scheduled to open near the Empire Center in early 2013, according to spokesman Steve Restivo.  The mega-retailer's sometimes rocky road to Burbank started in early July when news broke that the Walmart Real Estate Business Trust had purchased 12 acres where a 120,000-square-foot Great Indoors store was located.

I am one of the so-called “1%” who is opposed to Walmart moving into Burbank. For someone who doesn't even live in Burbank to call our concerns “common-sense-challenged” is incredibly offensive (“Ignore the 1% who hate Walmart,” Dec. 18). I am also bothered by those who say we who oppose Walmart can solve our issue by simply not shopping there. Clearly these people have not been really listening to what we have been saying. First of all, all Burbank residents who shop in the Empire Center, Costco, the businesses along Victory Place or in the Burbank Terrace shopping center will be affected by the increased traffic that will come to an already over-burdened intersection, as will anyone who has to commute through that area, or who enters or exits the Golden State (5)

I don't usually express my opinion in a local newspaper, but after reading yet another negative comment about Walmart coming to Burbank (“How to keep Walmart out,” Dec. 11), I felt like I needed to say something. I am hoping that others have written to your paper to express positive support for Walmart coming to Burbank, and that many of them have been published. I have lived in Burbank for more than 30 years and love this community. I shop at Empire Center and am so thankful it is there, and business appears to be thriving.