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Date:3/3/2026 10:10:27 AM
From:"Tim James" tjames@CAGrocers.com
To:
"Ashleigh Aitken" AAitken@anaheim.net, "Carlos A. Leon" CLeon@anaheim.net, "Ryan Balius"
RBalius@anaheim.net, "Natalie Rubalcava" NRubalcava@anaheim.net, "Norma C. Kurtz" NKurtz@anaheim.net,
"Kristen Maahs" KMaahs@anaheim.net, "Natalie Meeks" NMeeks@anaheim.net
Cc:"City Clerk" cityclerk@anaheim.net, "Public Comment" publiccomment@anaheim.net
Subject:[EXTERNAL] Self-checkout Regulation - 3/3 Agenda
Attachment:Anaheim SCO LTR 3-3.pdf;CBA Analysis - Anaheim.pdf;
Warning: This email originated from outside the City of Anaheim. Do not click links or open attachme nts unle ss you recognize the
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Mayor and Councilme mbe rs, Please acce pt the attache d letter and document re garding Se l f -che ckout re gul ati on on the 3/3 age nda. Re ach out
w i th any que sti ons or f or additi onal i nformati on. Thank you for your considerati on. Ti m
Ti mothy Jame s
Di re ctor, Local Gove rnme nt and Enterprise Ri sk
Cal i forni a Groce rs Association
916-448-3545
March 3, 2026
The Honorable Ashleigh Aitken
Mayor, City of Anaheim
200 S Anaheim Boulevard
Anaheim, CA 92805
RE: Self-checkout Requirements
Dear Mayor Aitken,
On behalf of the Anaheim grocery industry, I write with genuine concern with both the process and the
policy of regulating self-checkout (SCO) for grocers in Anaheim. We are shocked the Council would consider
moving forward with regulation of grocer s with no contact or discussion with grocers by the Mayor,
Councilmembers or city staff. Deciding policy direction with no input from the businesses you intend to
regulate should be considered irresponsible. I hope you agree that even if disagreements exist it is vital that
all voices be recognized and heard before government acts.
Real-world experience and data shows regulating SCO has no impact on the intended results claimed by
advocates. SCO regulation to this point has only burdened its operation, both technically and legally, to the
point of forcing its removal. This puts Anaheim brick-and-mortar grocers at a competitive disadvantage to
more convenient options like neighboring grocers and on-line grocery options.
Due to the lack of contact or discussion with Anaheim grocers and the significant impact of this policy to
existing and future Anaheim grocers we ask the Council provide no direction to develop an ordinance until
Anaheim grocers have been made fully aware and given the opportunity to share data and impacts regarding
SCO regulation.
Employee safety is grocer’s highest concern. This is why there are clear and strict company policies for
employees to not engage when retail theft or similar situations arise. There are also multiple layers of state
law that protects employees and requires grocers to regularly plan, prevent, train and implement safety
plans for all threats in the workplace.
Retail theft at SCO is minimal to non-existent in most grocery stores. The reality of retail theft is thieves
simply walk the items out of the front door bypassing all checkouts. SCO stations are equipped with multiple
layers of technology to prevent retail theft, which includes hiding or improperly scanning items. It is also
important to recognize the passage of Proposition 36 along with partnerships between law enforcement and
retailers has had significant impact on the amount of theft at grocery stores.
The staff report includes a comparison of recent SCO regulations, but left out the most significant piece. In
mid-2025 UFCW and its members ratified a new Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) across all of
Southern California that regulates SCO (Attached). This agreement addresses the same points advocates of
an ordinance seek to regulate. This begs the question of what is so unique or dangerous about the City of
Anaheim from all other Southern California jurisdictions that UFCW demands significantly more SCO
regulation here. Furthermore, it disrupts the value and purpose of an employee and employer agreement
ratified in a CBA for a municipality to override its contents. If anything, Anaheim should be focused on
supporting the contents of a CBA agreement, not erasing them.
March 3, 2026
Mayor Ashleigh Aitken
PAGE 2
Convenience has become one of the top decision points for where consumers purchase their groceries.
Consumers are choosing in significant numbers grocery purchasing options that best fit their lifestyle –
meaning most convenient. For brick-and-mortar grocers this means offering consumer demanded
convenience to stay competitive. Data shows that 83% of consumers have used SCO in the last six months,
Gen Z and Millennial consumers overwhelmingly prefer SCO and the number of total consumers who prefer
SCO is rising at 5% a year. This data makes two important points – it is consumers who want and demand
SCO and brick-and-mortar grocers needs SCO as a viable option to stay competitive. Any artificial barriers to
Anaheim brick-and-mortar grocers offering SCO options negatively impacts that stores sustainability.
The regulation of SCO at grocery is a layered and impactful issue. The Council has not received a clear or full
view of SCO operation and regulation impacts, especially with no outreach to Anaheim grocers. The Council
moving forward or making any level of commitment at this time is both unfair and unwise. We ask you
refrain from pursuing SCO regulation at this time until critical data and real-world impacts are understood
and the regulated business es have been engaged and provided a reasonable opportunity to be heard. We
appreciate your consideration and look forward to discussing SCO further in partnership with Anaheim .
Sincerely,
Tim James
Director, Local Government Relations
California Grocers Association
cc: Councilmembers, Anaheim City Council
Self-Checkout UFCW CBA Analysis
Provision
UFCW Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA)
(effective July 2025)
Staffing Ratio None
Dedicated Employee
Requirement
Yes - may be assigned to perform incidental work in the
general vicinity of that self-checkout bank or operate a full-
service check stand to respond to a customer's request when
no more than one customer is using that self-checkout bank.
Staffed Lane Required Yes - During the hours of 8:00 am - 7:00 pm, if any self-
checkout lane is available for use by customers, the
Employer will schedule at least one (1) full-service
checkout lane to be open and available for use by
customers.
Item Limit Yes - All stores with self-check will have signage that
states that self-check should be limited to orders of about
fifteen (15) items.
Restricted Items at SCO None. State of CA already restricts sales of alcohol at SCO.
Covered Establishments All grocers with Collective Bargaining Agreements
Enforcement Mechanism Formal grievance process per CBA
Penalties Penalties per CBA
Right to Cure None – not needed
Implementation Period July 2025
Public Signage None – not needed
Anti-Retaliation Yes – Per Collective Bargaining Agreement
State Preemption Clause Yes – State and Local allowance for CBA exemption from
the law
Source: UFCW Grocery Contracts 2025 Ratification Handout https://www.ufcw770.org/grocerycontracts