In an effort to limit the number of corporate chain stores downtown, the Santa Monica City Council last week considered a new law that would require the companies to go through a public hearing and obtain a special permit before they set up shop here. The goal would be to make corporations prove that their presence would be a positive contribution to the downtown core.
Many residents and elected officials lament the loss of locally owned businesses and complain that the Third Street Promenade has become like any other suburban shopping mall.
But local landlords, who can get as much as $10 a square foot on the Promenade, say it’s not the job of politicians to regulate the marketplace.
So this week, Q-Line wants to know, “Should the local government regulate which businesses can set up shop here?”
Call (310) 285-8106 with your response before Thursday at 5 p.m. We’ll print them in Friday’s paper. Please limit your comments to a minute or less. It might help to think first about the wording of your response.
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on November 20, 2003. Read the original PDF.