From Friday's Sacramento Bee (full article here -- free registration required):
Wal-Mart's tactics don't deter council
Members of the Sacramento City Council said they anticipated a rough night Tuesday when they considered a controversial superstore ordinance. Still, no one was prepared for what they encountered when they walked into their chambers that evening.
Wal-Mart, leading the opposition against the proposal, had a court reporter stationed next to the dais to record every word. Each council member got a letter from the corporation's attorney, warning that the ordinance specifically targets Wal-Mart and "violates numerous federal, state and local laws, and is discriminatory and unfair."
Councilman Rob Fong, an attorney, said the corporation's message was clear.
"Those two things combined would indicate to me that one of the things coming down the pike is some sort of legal challenge," Fong said. "If that happens, it wouldn't surprise me."
Nevertheless, the council passed the ordinance unanimously, following in the footsteps of several cities across the country that have made it tougher to build superstores in their areas.
...The Sacramento ordinance requires an economic analysis of proposed superstores to include the impact on existing merchants, a wage survey and tax revenue projections.
Superstores are defined in the ordinance as larger than 90,000 square feet of space and using more than 20 percent of retail space for nontaxable items such as groceries. Membership or bulk stores are exempt.