Wal Mart

Eron Ben-Yehuda HUNTINGTON BEACH -- Tired of opponents hogging the spotlight, those who favor a Wal-Mart here came out in force at Monday's City Council meeting. Until now, a few detractors have dominated the debate about whether the retailer should open a store on Talbert Avenue by Beach Boulevard, said Jackie Fantuzo, president of the PTA at Harbour View Elementary School. "A small group of people have held the City Council almost as hostages," she said.

Kenneth Ma HUNTINGTON BEACH -- Wal-Mart has hit a road block with neighborhood residents in its attempt to construct a common wall to separate the construction site of its future retail store from nearby homes. As one of the nearly 175 conditions placed on Wal-Mart in its quest to build a 135,000-square-foot megastore, the retail giant is required to erect an 8-foot-high perimeter wall to protect nearby homes from noise and light during construction.

Heated debate over the controversial Wal-Mart continues in Huntington Beach after a missing railing kept the store from opening on Wednesday as scheduled. City officials did not issue a permit of occupancy to the store because the retailer failed to install a metal railing at nearby Lambert Park thus ensuring that all building codes were met. Wal--Mart Vice President Bob McAdam's request of the City Council Tuesday night for a bond continuance, or permit with a guarantee of work to follow, was met by several residents vehement counter request that no permit be issued until all terms are met. City officials did not bend, saying that when the terms of the agreement were met the certificate of occupancy for the 135,000-square-foot store located on a 14-acre site on Talbert Avenue in Huntington Beach would be issued.

Eron Ben-Yehuda HUNTINGTON BEACH -- If money talks, then Wal-Mart will be heard loud and clear in the campaign leading to a vote on a ballot initiative that may scuttle the retailer's plans to open a store. A local campaign committee friendly to Wal-Mart has collected about $112,000 so far, with the retailer contributing about $111,000, according to public financial statements filed Jan. 11. "It's an outrageous sum of money," said Connie Boardman, a member of Save Crest View, an opposing committee whose members helped sponsor the initiative.

Wal-Mart's future depends largely on voters who will decide in March whether to rezone the property where the retailer plans to build its controversial 150,000-square-foot mega-store. Residents who dreaded the thought of a "big box" moving into the neighborhood gathered enough signatures to qualify for a ballot initiative, known as Measure I. Before the vote, people will have the opportunity to watch a televised debate aired on HBTV-3. The ratings may not be high because there was no shortage of arguing throughout the year over the advantages and disadvantages of the project, planned for the closed Crest View school site on Talbert Avenue by Beach Boulevard.

Eron Ben-Yehuda HUNTINGTON BEACH -- The only thing the opponents in the Wal-Mart controversy seem to agree on is that they disagree -- something they did a lot of last week during a debate that is airing now on HBTV-3. Hearing each side tell "facts" that were later contradicted by the other didn't clarify any of the thorny issues residents will have to sort through before they vote on a March ballot initiative meant to block the retailer's plan for a store on Talbert Avenue by Beach Boulevard.

Eron Ben-Yehuda HUNTINGTON BEACH -- Complaining about "misinformation" at an earlier hearing, the City Council voted 4-2 Monday to consider adding conditions before allowing Wal-Mart to demolish an unused school to build a store. A public hearing is set for Sept. 20 to make sure the retailer's plan to tear down buildings containing asbestos at the Crest View school site on Talbert Avenue doesn't endanger the health of nearby residents, City Councilwoman Shirley Dettloff said.

Eron Ben-Yehuda A report detailing Wal-Mart's financial impact on the community, unveiled at Monday's City Council meeting, didn't change anybody's position on the controversial project. The council requested the report as a precursor to a March election in which voters will decide whether to rezone the property on Talbert Avenue at Beach Boulevard, where Wal-Mart plans to build a 150,000-square-foot retail complex. If a majority of voters accept rezoning the 13-acre site from commercial back to residential, then Wal-Mart will probably not be able to build on the old Crest View school campus.

Wal-Mart awarded a $100,000 grant Tuesday to the Bolsa Chica Land Trust for restoration work. The grant, given through the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, will help reduce nonnative grasses and increase Southern tarplant and other native species on the 118-acre Bolsa Chica mesa. Wal-Mart announced the grant at a press conference at 10 a.m. at the Bolsa Chica Ecological Reserve on Pacific Coast Highway between Warner Avenue and Seapoint Street. Kim Kolpin, the land trust's restoration coordinator, said her group had gotten funding in the past from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, but never through Wal-Mart.

Ron Davis I just can't wait for Wal-Mart to get into town. It looks like they'll probably have a sale on hoses once they finally get settled in. In fact, as a special gift to those of you who signed the petition attempting to force the Wal-Mart issue to a special election, the Wal-Mart proponents on the City Council have just delivered a special hose to the Crest View folks. Here's how this special Wal-Mart hose works. Under the law, the anti-Wal-Mart foes, or even fools like me who aren't anti-Wal-Mart, but have real reservations about plopping the big box in Crest View's backyard, signed the petitions with the expectation that a special election would be called on the subject -- an election where the only issue on the ballot is the petition issue -- in other words, Wal-Mart, yea or nay. But four members from the garden department of the City Council, who just happen to be the same four members who are determined to shove the Wal-Mart down the throats of the Crest View residents, have made the special election, really, really special.

Wal-Mart awarded a $100,000 grant Tuesday to the Bolsa Chica Land Trust for restoration work. The grant, given through the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, will help reduce nonnative grasses and increase Southern tarplant and other native species on the 118-acre Bolsa Chica mesa. Wal-Mart announced the grant at a press conference at 10 a.m. at the Bolsa Chica Ecological Reserve on Pacific Coast Highway between Warner Avenue and Seapoint Street. Kim Kolpin, the land trust's restoration coordinator, said her group had gotten funding in the past from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, but never through Wal-Mart.

You’ve survived Black Friday and Cyber Monday but 26 more days to shop before Christmas — six before Hanukkah, 27 before Kwanzaa — loom ahead. The greater part of the holiday retail melee still lies ahead. With Christmas tree lots and holiday lights greeting me at every turn, it is about now nonetheless I usually begin to feel like the Grinch. I don’t want to see the inside of a store until sometime next year, after the Valentine’s Day chocolates and greeting cards have all disappeared.

Dave Brooks There was one thing Johnny Gillet really wanted to get during his free shopping spree -- a present for his brother. Gillet was one of about 60 children to participate in the annual Clothe the Children event at the Huntington Beach Wal-Mart Saturday. The annual event, sponsored by the Kiwanis club of Huntington Beach, raises $6,000 to buys clothes and holiday gifts for children in the community, who are referred by social workers at the Salvation Army.

Andrew Edwards Four years ago, Barbara Boskovich was an outsider. When she was elected to the Ocean View School District Board in 2000, her victory came months after an earlier defeat -- Boskovich had opposed the construction of the Wal-Mart at Talbert Avenue and Beach Boulevard and backed a ballot measure to stop the store's construction. The Wal-Mart was built on the former site of Crest View school, where Boskovich's children studied. When she first ran for office, she told voters the district had failed to communicate with residents and had lost the trust of many in the city.

Bryce Alderton Day after day they gathered in the parking lot, just waiting for the moment their weight would cause the automatic doors to slide open. Anxious customers ready to stroll the aisles in search of bargains were finally let inside the controversial Wal-Mart store in Huntington Beach, five days after the retail giant was scheduled to open. "I've been waiting for it and I'll be coming back tonight with my husband," said Jannise Nagle, a Fountain Valley resident, as she walked out of the store on its opening day with her son Jaedin, 7. "He liked all the games on the way out, I think we wasted $5."

Heated debate over the controversial Wal-Mart continues in Huntington Beach after a missing railing kept the store from opening on Wednesday as scheduled. City officials did not issue a permit of occupancy to the store because the retailer failed to install a metal railing at nearby Lambert Park thus ensuring that all building codes were met. Wal--Mart Vice President Bob McAdam's request of the City Council Tuesday night for a bond continuance, or permit with a guarantee of work to follow, was met by several residents vehement counter request that no permit be issued until all terms are met. City officials did not bend, saying that when the terms of the agreement were met the certificate of occupancy for the 135,000-square-foot store located on a 14-acre site on Talbert Avenue in Huntington Beach would be issued.

Livengood's our man Of the many candidates being considered for appointment to theHuntington Beach City Council, one stands out as a natural choice: Tom Livengood. Livengood has served the citizens of our city in dozens of key roles for over three decades. His involvement in the business community (Chamber of Commerce), environmental groups (Amigos de Bolsa Chica, Bolsa Chica Foundation), homeowners groups (Home Council) and city committees and commissions (charter revision, budget and general plan committees and Planning Commission)

Retail giant Wal-Mart will open its doors Wednesday, capping years of fighting between residents and school district officials. The 135,000-square-foot store sits on a 14-acre site at 8230 Talbert Ave. Wal-Mart officials could not provide an opening time by press deadline. In March 2000, 54.1% of voters cast their ballots defeating Measure I. Had it passed, the measure would have forced the city to rezone the former Crest View School campus on Talbert Avenue near Beach Boulevard to residential, halting Wal-Mart's plan to build there.

Angelique Flores HUNTINGTON BEACH-- The walls of the closed Crest View School are tumbling down to make way for Wal-Mart. Demolition crews arrived last week to begin clearing the 14-acre property at Talbert Avenue near Beach Boulevard. Work is expected to take an additional two weeks, said Ocean View School District Supt. Jim Tarwater. One year ago this month, a five-year battle came to an end when 54.1% of the voters cast their ballots defeating Measure I. This move put the brakes on an effort to rezone the school site to a residential zone, which would have blocked the construction of the Wal-Mart store.

Kenneth Ma HUNTINGTON BEACH -- Wal-Mart has hit a road block with neighborhood residents in its attempt to construct a common wall to separate the construction site of its future retail store from nearby homes. As one of the nearly 175 conditions placed on Wal-Mart in its quest to build a 135,000-square-foot megastore, the retail giant is required to erect an 8-foot-high perimeter wall to protect nearby homes from noise and light during construction.