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Costa Mesa council advances Long Beach‑style self‑checkout staffing ordinance after hours of debate
Summary
After hours of public comment from grocery workers, unions and retailers, the City Council voted 3–2 to introduce a staffing ordinance modeled on Long Beach that sets minimum attendant ratios at self‑checkout kiosks, adds a seven‑day notice‑to‑cure and calls for a one‑year review.
The Costa Mesa City Council on Jan. 20 gave initial approval to a proposed ordinance that would require staffed self‑checkout lanes at grocery and drug stores, adopting a Long Beach–style approach with local modifications.
City staff said the draft ordinance would apply to food retail stores over 15,000 square feet and to all drugstores, require one employee for every three self‑checkout stations, limit self‑checkout transactions to 15 items or fewer and bar use of self‑checkout for locked or theft‑deterrent items. Enforcement would include a private right of action and escalating civil penalties; the staff draft added a seven‑day written notice to cure before litigation could proceed.
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