That's my prior!

The demise of America’s malls can deal a blow to the towns that depend on them

The coronavirus pandemic is speeding up the demise of America’s struggling shopping malls, which could deal a devastating blow to some towns that depend on them.

When a mall goes dark, a community loses more than just a place to shop and grab a slice of pizza at the food court’s Sbarro. In many neighborhoods, the mall is an economic engine, hiring hundreds, if not thousands, of workers and providing a significant amount of dollars to the local tax base.

Malls and shopping centers across the country provide $400 billion in local tax revenue annually, according to the International Council of Shopping Centers, the retail real estate industry’s trade group. And there are about 1,000 malls — both privately and publicly held — still operating in the U.S. today, according to commercial real estate services firm Green Street Advisors.

“I worry a lot as this crisis plays out,” ICSC CEO Tom McGee said. “Our industry funds everything form the fire and police to [local] infrastructure.”

I have a stake in a local shopping mall.   The teachers unions want us taxed much more. I was worried, but covid hit and I worry more.

But, In California, the unions are frigged and Newsom has no  brains to fix this. He claims to have the teachers union funded through the next year. But he has no clue and his mostly union economists will flat earth the problem.