Plans To Build A Mega Warehouse In Moreno Valley Have Some Residents Outraged

MORENO VALLEY (CBSLA.com) – There were fireworks at a Moreno Valley City Council meeting Monday night on a proposal to build a giant warehouse along Gilman Springs Road.

There was a lot of yelling and screaming in front of city hall. One group wants the World Logistics Center built, a 40-million-square-foot warehouse complex, boasting tens of thousands of jobs including those in construction.

"This is an opportunity for us to increase our jobs to housing ratio which we've been in a deficit for. This city has suffered economically for 25 years, Moreno Valley resident Roy Bleckert said.

Opponents claim the jobs will be low-paying part-time gigs, and traffic will bring pollution to the area.

"They come here because we have cheap land, and we have cheap labor," Daniel Peeden said. "If you want progress, build a library, build something for the people not for you to just have slave labor and make profits."

Minutes into the council meeting, the mayor walked out of the room following a dispute with a councilman. When he returned minutes later, he was greeted by some upset community members.

"You need to apologize to our community for your unprofessionalism," one woman said.

The meeting continued with a lengthy presentation from the builder of the project, who promises jobs in technology. "This is an opportunity to make a decent entry-level earning without a high school diploma," the project's builder Iddo Benzeevi said.

If the council did not vote on the project Monday night, another meeting will be held Tuesday.