Correspondence - Item 28 - Laserfiche WebLink

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May 4, 2026 The Honorable Valerie Amezcua Mayor, City of Santa Ana 20 Civic Center Plaza Santa Ana, CA 92701 RE: Self-checkout Ordinance Dear Mayor Amezcua, On behalf of the Santa Ana grocery industry, I write to fully oppose Council moving forward with a Self- Checkout Ordinance (SCO) with Santa Ana grocers receiving no notice, outreach, interaction, or genuine opportunity to be heard, either publicly or privately, by the City Manager or Mayor as identified in the staff report, nor from any Councilmembers. Passing an ordinance with significant impact on current and future grocers with no interest or effort to understand policy impacts could appear disingenuousand is not aligned with open policy making processes. Grocers are avital and unique asset to Santa Ana. We nourish our consumers, provide jobs with growth opportunities, are a centerpiece for retail areas, and are a significant ingredient in community and culture building. We cherish our role in communities and hope you have the same appreciation. Every other jurisdiction that has considered SCO regulation has held a public hearing for discussion followed by adequate time to discuss the policy impacts openly and publicly before bringing forward an ordinance for passage. Unfortunately, we would be forced to consider passage of this ordinance at this time a dismissal of the importance of grocery and a denial of policy consideration in a fair and open manner. I am sure you would agree it is vital for policymakers to ensure all voices are recognized and heard, even if disagreements arise. Consumers,grocery employees, and grocers all deserve the process and time necessary for Council to make a fully informed decision.A complete lack of engagement with grocers targeted for regulation is counter to what we believe we should all strive for, which is deliberative and process-based public policy decisions. Based on the existing circumstances, we request the Council remove the agenda item from this meeting and withhold any ordinance consideration until after Santa Ana grocers have had a chance to genuinely engage in an open and respectful policy process. We also offer our commitment to discuss and review SCO operations, employeeand consumer impacts, and real-world results from other jurisdictions. We are also open to engaging in a partnership to discuss potential policy options which do not overly burden grocery operations. However, to make these commitments we would need to be assured of an open and respectful consideration process. It should also be recognized that UFCW, who represents grocery workers, negotiated and ratified a new Collective Bargaining Agreement covering all of Southern California in mid 2025 and lasting through 2028. This agreement already speaks to SCO staffing, utilization and operations. The parameters of this employee- employer decision do not rise in any way to the depth and severity of regulation currently being sought. We believe the basis of any consideration for SCO policy should begin and lie within this employee approved agreement.