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PREVIOUS COVERAGE: California grocers push to allow alcohol at self-checkout
California is the only state in the country that bans the sale of all types of alcohol at self-checkout stations.
SANTA ANA, Calif. - The Santa Ana City Council has officially approved the "Safe Stores are Staffed Stores" ordinance to strictly regulate self-checkout operations in local supermarkets and pharmacies.
Aimed at curbing retail theft and protecting local jobs, the policy mandates that retail establishments maintain clear human staffing levels alongside automated kiosks.
What we know:
Passed by a unanimous vote on Tuesday, the ordinance establishes mandatory staffing guidelines for all drug retail establishments using self-checkout kiosks and all grocery stores larger than 15,000 square feet.
Covered businesses must now supply a minimum of one dedicated employee to monitor every three active self-checkout machines.
Additionally, stores are required to have at least one traditional, human-staffed checkout lane open at all times when self-checkout kiosks are operating.
Labor organizations like the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Local 324 heavily backed the measure, pointing out that an over-reliance on self-checkout isolates vulnerable customer bases—including senior citizens and shoppers with disabilities—and leaves them facing long delays without assistance.
What we don't know:
It's unknown how strictly major corporate chains will implement these ratios or whether compliance will trigger changes in local grocery prices. It is also unknown how heavily local code enforcement will monitor regional retail spaces once the regulations take hold.
What they're saying:
Labor leaders praised the council's decisive action, viewing the ordinance as a necessary protection against unchecked corporate automation. Jose Perez, president of UFCW Local 324, noted, "The ‘Safe Stores are Staffed Stores’ ordinance establishes reasonable guardrails while protecting the use of technology and innovation in our stores. We’re proud that more cities are recognizing that fully replacing workers with self-checkout creates unintended consequences for communities. The Santa Ana City Council’s leadership on this issue sends a message that technology should support workers, not replace them entirely."
Victor Romero, a meat cutter at a local Stater Bros. grocery store, mirrored this sentiment regarding daily store safety.
"Union brothers and sisters and I are fighting to ensure our customers have a good shopping experience and that workers have safe working conditions. The way to do that is via more staffing, not technology that is designed to replace us. Regulating self-checkout does not stop companies from utilizing the technology, and I’m glad the Santa Ana City Council stood with working people today."
What's next:
The ordinance is scheduled to officially go into effect in 30 days.
The Source: This report is based on information from the Santa Ana City Council's legislative vote on May 19, 2026. This includes direct on-the-ground commentary, policy details, and perspectives provided by representatives of the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Local 324 and local grocery store employees. City News Service contributed.