DC political roundup: prognnosis for democracy, middling

1. City Council voted in favor of the Large Retailer Accountability Act--basically the law will force big box stores like Walmart to pay a high wage to full-time employees, although all their corporate labor management policies are focused on keeping employees at less than a 40 hour week.

Walmart had an op-ed in yesterday's paper, "Wal-Mart: The DC Council has forced our hand," about why they won't proceed with the three stores that aren't under construction. Of the three that are "confirmed," one is pretty much built as it's part of a larger project, one is well underway, and the other project is supposed to break ground in one month.  I wish the one on Georgia Avenue wasn't so far along so that they'd scrub that one.

I have been impressed, but not in a good way, that none of the media coverage of this issue has referenced what Walmart did in San Diego to sandbag and overturn a big box review ordinance there.

2. City Council voted to postpone the creation of an independent Attorney General office and elected position to the 2018!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! election, because it wasn't all worked out.  See "DC Council Postpones Attorney General Election to 2018" from Legal Times.

That's pathetic and a good reason to not to ever consider Jack Evans for Mayor. He also was one of the leaders to overturn the citizen initiative for term limits in 2001, which was passed by voters in the late 1990s.  See "Council hit for overturning term limits law" from the Washington Times.

3. I haven't tracked down yet what happened with the vote on moving the primary election to June from its now too early April date.

4. Council did vote in favor of smoking restrictions on city property including bus stops!!!!!!! which is a great thing.