The Porter Ranch Neighborhood Council unanimously passed a motion in support of Walmart’s request for an alcohol license having heard a presentation by Walmart on the four conditions they were willing to accept to receive the permit. Walmart is pursuing a permit to sell beer, wine, and hard liquor, including refrigerated liquor for consumption off site, although there are currently no plans for alcohol refrigerators.

Walmart’s team included new Store Manager Fernando Reyes, Outreach Representative Victor Franco and legal counsel Lisa Kolieb. They began by declaring their focus on being a good neighbor and having community support. They have had numerous conversations with LAPD Devonshire Captain Pitcher about security concerns at Walmart and how to address them. They collectively identified four conditions for the permit approval.

First, Walmart will provide a roving marked security guard to patrol their parking lot 40 hours a week for the next three years. This is in addition to the roving patrol Shapell is currently providing. The patrol hours are likely to be the high traffic afternoons and evenings of Thursday through Sunday, but will vary based on needs as identified by the LAPD.

Second, they will use a comprehensive approach to checking the purchaser’s identification. Third, to prevent alcohol theft, the products will be located at the back of the store, some of it with security tags, and the exits will be modified to create a choke point to prevent grab and go thefts. There will be no single consumption container sales. Fourth, Walmart will work with the LAPD to plan for sales with exceptionally large traffic like Black Friday to prevent future problems.

On the whole, stakeholders expressed approval for the plan, noting that the increased security was certainly needed. The discussion moved to concern about overnight camping, which is not permitted at this Walmart. The PRNC plans to investigate this concern and work with Shapell on how to address it.

This article also appeared in the June 2012 Valley Voice.