Arizona is fighting back. San Diego and Los Angeles are being targeted by Arizona officials who are not happy with the plans and or threats that have originated in those cities regarding a boycott of Arizona.
Arizona to turn off lights in L.A.?
An article posted today (5/19/10) about the boycott issue is on cbsnews.com and is entitled: ‘Arizona Threatens to Turn Lights off in L.A.’ The subtitle is: ‘Official Says Los Angeles Can Go Without Arizona Electricity if City Goes Through with Boycott.’
This article focuses on a message Arizona Corporation Commissioner Gary Pierce delivered to Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa after the L.A. City Council voted to boycott Arizona in protest over its new and controversial immigration law.
In the article this was attributed to Pierce: ‘”If an economic boycott is truly what you desire, I will be happy to encourage Arizona utilities to renegotiate your power agreements so Los Angeles no longer receives any power from Arizona-based generation. I am confident that Arizona’s utilities would be happy to take those electrons off your hands.”‘
More details of the message from Pierce to Villaraigosa are provided in the cbsnews.com article.
BUYcott Arizona website
An article posted on 5/17/10 on foxnews.com is entitled: ‘Arizona in Boycott Battle With Immigration Law Opponents.’
Included within this report is this information:
‘A group called BUYcottArizona has launched a website calling on supporters not only to ignore the anti-Arizona rhetoric, but to make those cities leading the charge pay for their political opposition. The group names close to a dozen cities — in addition to individual organizations — that have backed boycotts on employee travel or future contracts with Arizona businesses, and it is calling on people to “boycott the boycotters.”
The article discusses how the choking off of tourism dollars is worrisome in both directions and is already having an impact on some businesses.
San Diego backlash being felt
An article was posted 5/17/10 on foxnews.com entitled: ‘San Diego Faces Own Medicine as Arizona Residents Cancel Travel Following Boycott of State.’
Included in this article was this: ‘Would-be tourists have notified the San Diego Convention and Visitors Bureau and some hotels that they are canceling their scheduled travel to the coastal vacation destination, according to the San Diego Union-Tribune.’
The article further states: ‘Roughly 2 million Arizonans visit San Diego each year but the recession has taken a toll on the hotel industry that was hoping for a comeback this year. Hotels are offering deep discounts to fill up their undersold rooms.’
Both small and large businesses are being hurt by the boycotting efforts of those who are reacting to the passage of the Arizona immigration law. However, it does not seem likely that the boycotts will have any real effect on the scheduled implementation of the law in July.
For more articles by this writer, click here.
See:
Arizona Law: LA to Boycott; Other Cities Following?
Arizona Immigration Law: Boycotting the Boycotters (VIDEO)
Arizona Immigration Law: Feds May Sue Arizona (VIDEOS)
Arizona Immigration Law: 2 Referendum Drives Dropped
Illegal Immigrant Awarded $145G
Sources:
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2010/05/19/national/main6498572.shtml
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2010/05/17/arizona-boycott-battle-immigration-law-opponents/
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2010/05/17/san-diego-faces-medicine-arizona-residents-cancel-travel-following-boycott/
