Grocery shopping in Santa Ana is about to get more expensive and much more frustrating. The Santa Ana City Council is pushing a new pending ordinance to heavily restrict supermarket self-checkout lanes. While politicians claim this protects workers, the reality is clear. This policy raises grocery prices, kills shopping convenience, and serves labor unions at the expense of residents.
Pattern of Driving Up Your Cost of Living
This ordinance is not an isolated incident. It is part of a long history of anti-consumer decisions by the Santa Ana City Council:
- Highest Sales Tax: The council previously raised our sales tax to the highest level in Orange County. They are now working to extend that sales tax increase yet again!
- Banning Affordable Options: The Santa Ana City Council made it nearly impossible to open supercenters in our city, blocking low-cost options. (Why do you think we have no Sam’s Club or Costco stores in Santa Ana?)
- The Big Picture: California already suffers from the highest grocery prices in the lower 48 states.
You can draw a straight line from the actions of our political leaders to the skyrocketing totals on your grocery receipts.
Grocery store profit margins are razor-thin, averaging just 1.7% according to the Food Industry Association (FMI). When politicians mandate expensive new rules, grocers cannot just absorb the cost if they want to keep their doors open. Those higher operational costs go straight to the consumer.
The Hidden Costs of the Ordinance
The financial damage of this ordinance hits both the stores and your wallet:
- $500,000 Removal Costs: One local grocer shared that closing down and physically removing self-checkout machines to comply with Santa Ana’s rules will cost up to $500,000 per store.
- Trial Attorney Bonanza: The law includes a “Private Right of Action” enforcement mechanism without a right to cure. This is a massive boon for trial attorneys, creating lawsuits that will ultimately show up as higher prices on grocery shelves.
- Zero Impact on Theft: Despite claims of reducing crime, the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) union admits employees cannot stop thieves. A San Francisco Chronicle report quotes a union representative stating, “Our workers are not trained to approach, and they’re not supposed to stop shoplifters.”
- Proven Failure: In Long Beach, internal data from grocers showed retail theft actually increased 48% after implementing a similar law, forcing many stores to close self-checkout stands entirely.
If the Santa Ana City Council really wants to stop retail thefts why aren’t they arresting all the transients and drug addicts who loiter in our parks and sidewalks?
Creating a Worse Shopping Experience
If this ordinance passes, prepare for long lines and retail friction:
The 15-Item Law
The policy enshrines a strict 15-item-or-less rule for self-checkout. This forces grocery employees into the worst parts of the COVID-19 pandemic era when they had to police customer behavior. Workers will now be forced to confront shoppers and remove them from lines for having 16 items in their basket instead of 15.
Locked Item Bans
Locked items cannot be purchased through self-checkout. If you need a locked item, you must wait for an employee to unlock it, then wait in a traditional checkout line. This added friction will simply push local commerce online to delivery giants, starving local brick-and-mortar stores.
Arbitrary Ratios
The law mandates a strict 3:1 staff-to-kiosk ratio. Industry members point out this creates the most boring, agonizing job in retail—forcing an employee to stand and monitor a tiny, restricted space for hours. Tellingly, recently signed union contracts did not include these staffing ratios. Unions are using city laws to force rules they couldn’t get at the bargaining table.
Politicians Are Ignoring Local Businesses
The ultimate insult to Santa Ana residents is how this law was made. Not a single political leader in Santa Ana has met with the California Grocers Association (CGA) or the grocery stores operating right here in our community.
Our city council is operating in a bubble. They are passing laws that directly increase grocery prices and destroy shopping convenience, all to hand a political win to labor unions. Santa Ana residents deserve better than higher bills and longer lines.
Take Action: Vote Scheduled for Next Tuesday!
The City Council is scheduled to officially vote on this ordinance at the next Santa Ana City Council Meeting on Next Tuesday at 5:00 PM. Do not let them quietly raise your grocery bills.
How to Contact the Council
You can submit formal public comments directly to the council through the City of Santa Ana Official Channels:
- Email Public Comment: Send your statement directly to eComment@santa-ana.org.
- Important: You must include the phrase “Grocery Self-Checkout Ordinance” in your email subject line so it is formally distributed to the council members and recorded into the public archive.
- By Phone: Contact the City Council office directly at (714) 647-6900.
Pre-Written Email Template
Copy, paste, and customize the text below to voice your opposition before the vote next Tuesday:
Subject: Public Comment Opposition: Grocery Self-Checkout Ordinance
Dear Mayor Amezcua and Santa Ana City Council Members,
As a resident of Santa Ana, I am writing to express my strong opposition to the pending ordinance regarding supermarket self-checkout restrictions scheduled for next Tuesday’s meeting.
California already faces the highest grocery prices in the nation. With grocery margins averaging a slim 1.7%, adding $500,000 in machine removal costs and forced staffing ratios will inevitably be passed down to local consumers on store shelves.
Furthermore, limiting self-checkout to 15 items and restricting locked merchandise creates massive friction for everyday shoppers, forces employees to police checkout lanes, and drives local business online. This ordinance creates an inconvenient shopping environment and increases the cost of living in a city that already burdens its residents with the highest sales tax in Orange County.
This policy explicitly benefits special interest labor groups at the direct expense of your constituents’ wallets and time. I urge you to vote NO on this ordinance.
Sincerely,
[Your Name]
[Your Santa Ana Address / Neighborhood]
Remember that several of the Santa Ana City Council Members are running for office right now or are up for reelection in November:
- Council Members David Penaloza, Jessie Lopez and Johnathan Ryan Hernandez are all running in the Primary Election for the 69th State Assembly District
- Council Members Phil Bacerra, Benjamin Vazquez and David Penaloza are all up for reelection this November
The Santa Ana self checkout ordinance passed its first reading on May 5, 2026, with public backing and active coordination from groups like the UFCW and the Orange County Labor Federation. You can bet they the City Council Members all taking union money to help their campaigns! If they vote for this self checkout ordinance isn’t that a conflict of interest? They better return those grocery union worker checks!