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Judges block controversial grocery merger of Kroger, Albertsons By Joe Taglieri
VOL. 12,
NO. 202
LA County objects to Solis, McDonnell, Luna as witnesses in ‘Banditos’ trial
joet@beaconmedianews.com
By City News Service
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os Angeles County attorneys want to bar the testimony of four top public officials in the upcoming trial of a long-running civil suit by multiple sheriff’s deputies who say they were pressured to quit or leave the East Los Angeles station by an internal clique known as the Banditos. The Los Angeles Superior Court suit filed by plaintiffs Art Hernandez, Alfred Gonzalez, Benjamin Zaredini, David Casas, Louis Granados, Mario Contreras, Areila Leums and Oscar Escobedo is scheduled for trial Jan. 21. All are still with the department except for Hernandez, who resigned in September 2023 after disciplinary action was taken against him related to, among other things, two drunk-driving arrests in four years, according to the county attorneys’ court papers. County attorneys object to proposals by the plaintiffs to call as witnesses Supervisor Hilda Solis, Sheriff Robert Luna, Undersheriff April Tardy and Los Angeles Police Chief James McDonnell, who was sheriff from 2014-18. Defense attorneys maintain the four are “apex” witnesses, which is defined as a person who sits at the highest level of a large organization. The same lawyers contend the testiSee Banditos Page 28
A Ralphs supermarket in Porter Ranch. | Photo courtesy of Coolcaesar/Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0)
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lbertsons Cos. Inc. has canceled merger plans with The Kroger Co. after two judges on Tuesday sided with federal regulators who argued the deal would hinder competition, result in higher prices and be bad for grocery workers. Albertsons then filed a multibillion-dollar lawsuit Wednesday against Kroger, alleging breach of the merger agreement for not doing enough to secure regulatory approval for the $24.6 billion deal. Judges in Oregon and Washington issued decisions within hours of each other Tuesday that were unfavorable to the merger. The judge in Oregon agreed with Federal Trade Commission regulators who said a combined Albertsons-Kroger supermarket chain was a violation of consumer protection laws. The judge in Washington
blocked the merger hours after the Oregon decision. The FTC, California and seven other states sued in February in an attempt to block the proposed merger. Kroger officials countered that the alliance would enable the newly combined company to compete more effectively with large retail conglomerates such as Walmart and Amazon. Kroger claimed the merger would not cause higher prices for consumers or widespread store closures and job cuts. To ensure existing stores continue operating postmerger, the company said it would transfer 579 stores to C&S Wholesale Grocers. At the conclusion of a three-week trial, however, U.S. District Judge Adrienne Nelson sided with the FTC. The Portland, Oregon-based judge ruled that the merger would eliminate competition
between two of the largest grocery chains in the U.S., resulting in higher prices, the possibility of fewer jobs and negative impacts on unionized grocery workers. Separately on Tuesday, a Washington state court judge in Seattle ruled against the merger. The FTC issued a prepared statement by Bureau of Competition Director Henry Liu following the rulings Tuesday: “The FTC, along with our state partners, scored a major victory for the American people, successfully blocking Kroger’s acquisition of Albertsons,” Liu said. “This historic win protects millions of Americans across the country from higher prices for essential groceries — from milk, to See Grocery merger Page 27
bread, to eggs — ultimately allowing consumers to keep more money in their pockets. This victory has a direct, tangible impact on the lives of millions of Americans who shop at Kroger or Albertsonsowned grocery stores for their everyday needs, whether that’s a Fry’s in Arizona, a Vons in Southern California, or a Jewel-Osco in Illinois,” the statement continued. “This is also a victory for thousands of hardworking union employees, protecting their hard-earned paychecks by ensuring Kroger and Albertsons continue to compete for workers through higher wages, better benefits, and improved working conditions,” Liu said. An Albertsons spokesperson told Reuters, “We believe we clearly outlined
LA County’s reported hate crimes rise to highest level in 43 years By City News Service
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eported hate crimes in Los Angeles County rose to their highest level in 43 years in 2023, jumping 45% from the previous year, according to a survey released Wednesday by the county Commission on Human Relations. The report found 1,350 reported hate crimes in the county last year, up from 930 the prior year. That number is the highest it’s been since the annual analysis began in 1980. Hate crimes documented last year grew to a peak, setting multiple records for highest counts of targeted groups — Blacks, Asians, Jewish people, Latino/Latinas, LGBT individuals and transgender people — and included the highest recorded counts for anti-immigrant slurs, Middle East conflict related crimes, and crimes with evidence of White supremacist ideology. “Hate crimes don’t just target individuals — they harm entire communities,” county Board of Supervisors Chair Kathryn Barger said during a news conference Wednesday.
See Hate crimes Page 02