Big boxing: banning bargains.

• Author: Balaker, Ted

Do POLITICIANS stick up for the little guy or suck up to big corporations? In the nation's largest brawl over big-box retailers, California pols are anxious to prove they're in the little guy's corner.

Wal-Mart wants to open 40 supercenters in the Golden State, but many local officials worry that the retail giant's grocery prices are too low. They say that Wal-Mart will squash smaller businesses and that its non-union jobs will depress wages. From the Bay Area to Southern California, several cities have banned big-box retailers; others are pondering bans.

But a recent analysis by the Los Angeles County Economic Development Corporation suggests that competition actually helps the little guy. It reports that Wal-Mart would bring jobs to communities that need them, and that lower grocery prices would bolster buying power. Critics dismiss the study as self-interested--Wal-Mart...