Legal News

Judge's rule city intrusion into state's jurisdiction with grocery worker ordinance

By Richard Binder

A state appellate panel has upheld a lower court ruling that overturned a Los Angeles ordinance requiring new owners of grocery stores to retain existing workers for 90 days.

The city ordinance, enacted in 2005, cited a threat to health and safety if newer, less-trained workers were brought on board. But grocery store owners filed suit, contending among other arguments that state law, which contains no worker retention requirements, trumps any locally enacted measure.

In Feb. 2008, Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Ralph Dau ruled in favor of the grocery store owners, overturning the ordinance. Frank Mateljan, spokesman for new Los Angeles City Attorney Carmen Trutanich, said the city attorney?s office was reviewing the ruling and had not yet decided whether to appeal to the state Supreme Court

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Full post as published by Legal Pad | LA on August 03, 2009 (boomark / email).