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Mayor Harmon calls for boycott of Amazon despite company’s investment in SLO

February 22, 2019

Mayor Heidi Harmon

Even though Amazon employs workers in the city of San Luis Obispo and contributes millions of dollars to the local economy, SLO Mayor Heidi Harmon has called for a boycott of the online retail giant. [Cal Coast Times]

“I am the mayor of San Luis Obispo and am leaving Amazon as a customer and want to call on other mayors to do the same,” Harmon stated in a Feb. 5 tweet.

Along with the tweet, Harmon posted a photo of herself holding her Amazon Prime card. In the tweet, Harmon also asked for assistance from a local business and anti-monopolization advocate on how to “amplify this message.”

About a week later, Amazon abandoned a plan to construct a secondary headquarters in New York City following stiff opposition from progressives to a deal struck between the company and the city. Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, whose district neighbors the site of the proposed headquarters, was one of the leaders of the opposition to Amazon coming to New York.

Harmon has since tweeted support for Ocasio-Cortez and has issued a statement saying Amazon is “destroying our downtowns and having a negative impact on our communities.” The San Luis Obispo mayor also said in the statement that the abandoned deal with New York City is an opportunity for everyone to consider breaking up with Amazon. [Tribune]

“Amazon’s Valentine’s Day break-up with New York city is the perfect time for us all to consider breaking up with Amazon and rekindling our relationship with local small businesses,” Harmon said. “While there may be some benefits to Amazon, it’s time to put the long term economic viability of our local community over the short term economic gains of a few.”

The online retail giant operates a branch office in San Luis Obispo. A company spokesperson told the Tribune that Amazon has created more than 130 direct, high-paying jobs in SLO County.

Amazon invested more than $33 million in the city of SLO last year alone and paid more than $25 million in compensation to its employees, the spokesperson said. The $33 million investment in the city includes spending on infrastructure, employee compensation and funds Amazon spends locally to keep the San Luis Obispo office running.

Additionally, Amazon is currently hiring for 20 positions. Many of the employees who work in Amazon’s SLO office are Cal Poly graduates in computer science who develop software for platforms such as Kindle Direct Publishing, CreateSpace and Prime.

Amazon also says its investments have contributed to the creation of 240 additional jobs in SLO, since its employees spend money in the community and the company contracts with many local businesses that have become its suppliers.


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People, SLO City policy’s are fair game, but unnecessary personal attacks are not.


Repeat offenders will be deleted.


Facebook and high-school is that way >>>>>>>>>>


-1

Just when I think the Mayor has hit the pinnacle of stupidity she does something like this to prove me wrong.


19

Can you buy a new mayor on Amazon?


24

This is just insane. I do not live in SLO. So my question is, for those of you who do, why do you keep voting for this nut case?


19

What an idiot. It’s time to boycott government. Oh wait, we don’t get to choose. They have the power to take from us.


13

This woman is absolutely nuts! She has never had a job, rents a room in a mobile home, and has the audacity to sound off on anything and everything that will get her publicity, but has no idea whatsoever how to lead this community. Can you say, “NOT MY MAYOR”?


34

At least she’s not an “entitled” idiot. And, oh by the way, it’s not a mobile home, it’s manufactured housing. She gets a plus one for that.


-7

Is it possible she rents a room in a mobile home because she is not a resident of the city of SLO ??? But showing residency so she qualifies as a resident of the city ….Is her real home in San Francisco ????? I wonder where she lived prior to running for office ????


2

Does this nitwit realize that many local small businesses in the area are selling on Amazon? Or that FedEx, UPS and the Postal Service are employing people locally with good wages and benefits moving these goods around?


33

Amazon and the internet can’t do labor …they can arrange labor and its not at a great price .People wanting to do retail and not labor in their business are going to the poor house very quickly . People need to adjust their business plans and work with the internet not try to compete with it …They will be the loser .. Sure big box stores and internet have destroyed millions of family businesses in every trade you can think of .. .Back when home depo started to arrive in slo county all of our small hardware stores and lumber closed up in less than a year .If they had switched to a lbor based business they would be rich .The internet not going away …so businesses must adjust if they want to make the big bucks


14

This kind of ridiculous attitude by politicians is why SLO suffers for ‘Head of household” jobs. Businesses that start to be successful and grow in size (Mindbody) are acquired and moved out of SLO. Who in their right mind wants to grow and expand any operation in SLO?


With the Progressive mentality, instead of the higher paying jobs you have many many small businesses that struggle and pay small salaries/wages. This just assures that SLO will be continue to be a Public Sector economy.


21
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