KTLA

Jewish community dismayed at Kroger’s closure of Ralphs in Pico-Robertson

Demonstrators take their message inside the Ralphs supermarket in L.A.'s Pico-Robertson neighborhood to protest its planned closure.(Myung J. Chun / Los Angeles Times)

Pico-Robertson resident Zev Hurwitz is devoted to his neighborhood Ralphs. He likes the store’s kosher sushi and low prices, and the late-night hours make shopping easy for the busy father.

“I usually visit four times a week. Never less than two,” Hurwitz, 27, said via his cellphone as he roamed the store’s aisles last month.

Now, the store at Pico Boulevard and Beverwil Drive is closing, the news coming amid a political standoff between the city and grocery chain. This Ralphs opened in 1996.

Owner Kroger Co. is shutting down the Ralphs, as well as another store in South L.A. and a Food 4 Less in East Hollywood, after the Los Angeles City Council voted in February to require large grocery stores to pay workers an extra $5 an hour for about four months. The stores will close May 15.

Read the full story on LATimes.com.