Angels Camp, CA…Although we live outside of Angels Camp, for close to 40 years we have shopped along the Highway 4 corridor, including in Angels. Angels Camp City Council is considering a zoning change to allow Tractor Supply to build. When we hear people talk about wanting big box stores in our foothill communities, we remind them that most people move to the foothills to live in a rural area. If box stores are important to them, they can live in just about any other city in the country, where they can find all the big stores they want.

The strength of our county is the fact that family and locally owned businesses keep money and jobs in our community. Like most people up here, we sometimes leave the area to access a big box store. Yet, for most of our building and home needs, we have used local stores such as Calaveras Lumber, Ebbett’s Pass Hardware, Spence’s, and Middleton’s, to name a few. The service at these stores is great, the prices reasonable, and the owners and staff are local.

Angels Camp City Council needs to decide if they want to keep their community rural or allow their home to look like most other towns filled with strip malls and stores that compete with small local business owners. They need to step up and show the people of Calaveras County who they represent.