Which Way, L.A.?
Downtown Walmart Grocery Store Draws Fire, Sparks Excitement
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Downtown Walmart Grocery Store Draws Fire, Sparks Excitement

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Walmart plans to start construction on its first grocery story in Los Angeles County this summer at a site on the edge of LA’s Chinatown. Local labor and advocacy groups plan to fight the development, saying the world’s biggest retailer isn’t too kind to new environments and its competition. Downtown boosters, however, say it’s yet another example of how the area has come into its own over the past few years. Also, the Los Angeles Times goes the New York Times' route and will start charging for much of its content online. How will the new paywall work? Will it work?  On our rebroadcast of today's To the Point, Warren Olney looks at teacher evaluations. Should they be public information? Steve Chiotakis guest hosts.

Banner image by Robyn Beck/AFP/Getty Images

Main Topic

Downtown Walmart Grocery Store Draws Fire, Sparks Excitement ()

It's a fight to the checkout line for those for and against a new Walmart Neighborhood Market planned for downtown LA. The new 33,000 square foot store is expected to go into the bottom floor of a senior housing complex just north of the 101 Freeway, a stones throw from central Chinatown. The world's biggest retailer has been trying a smaller footprint in high-density areas, but up to now has stayed out of LA, instead locating in other big cities like Chicago. Supercenters, those with more than 100,000 square feet, have more of a city hurdle to jump in trying to get built. An LA ordinance requires retailers to provide an economic analysis on how it would affect the job market and nearby businesses.

Note: Walmart was invited to participate in today's discussion but their spokesman was unavailable.

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Reporter's Notebook

Los Angeles Times to Put Up 'Paywall' ()

The Los Angeles Times is about to start charging for much of its content online. On Monday, March 5, the Times will begin charging 99 cents per month to allow users to see stories they can now see for free. The new so-called "paywall" follows a tradition of other newspapers and media companies looking for ways to make money in a highly digital realm. Ken Doctor is lead news publisher analyst at Outsell, a research and advisory firm focused on the information, publishing and education industries.

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Main Topic

Should Teacher Evaluations Be Public Information? ()

Evaluating Teachers PubliclyEvaluations of teachers based on student test scores have been made public in New York and Los Angeles. Will that make public schools better or worse? Warren Olney explores whether teachers will be shamed, fired or leave the profession for the wrong reasons.

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Underwriters

Which Way L.A.? is made possible in part by the Ralph M. Parsons Foundation, the Rosalinde and Arthur Gilbert Foundation, the Nathan Cummings Foundation, and the John Randolph Haynes and Dora Haynes Foundation, which supports study and research into policy issues of the Los Angeles region.

 

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