English Bulldog Puppies for Sale in Escondido, CA

Vons will be closing one store in Escondido and laying off 65 workers, the company said in a layoff notice filed with the state this week.

The store at 2345 E. Valley Parkway will close to shoppers on May 1, and some workers will remain past that date to fully shut down that location, the Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act notice said.

In addition, the company said in a statement sent to The San Diego Union-Tribune on Tuesday that the pharmacy will close to the public on April 16.

“Closing a store is always a tough decision and one we do not take lightly. Like other retailers, we continuously evaluate store performance and market dynamics, and with our focus on growth, occasionally it’s necessary to close locations that aren’t growing or meeting financial expectations,” Vons said in its statement.

Vons, whose parent company is Albertsons, remains “committed to serving the Escondido community” and is investing in “locations that deliver the best experience, such as our remodeled Albertsons on E. Valley Parkway in Escondido, which will have a re-grand opening on May 1,” it added.

The layoff notice said Vons hopes “to place as many associates as possible into positions at another location.” The store is unionized, so the layoffs of the store’s 65 workers will be subject to bumping rights, where senior employees facing job cuts may “bump,” or replace, more junior employees, to preserve the employment status of workers with seniority.

According to the notice, the store’s team includes three bakery staffers, three meat and seafood experts, four pharmacy professionals and around three dozen clerks.

The store, in eastern Escondido, is on a busy throughfare lined with other grocery stores, including a Ralphs, Grocery Outlet, Aldi, Walmart and several specialty markets. An Albertsons is a little over a mile to the west.

A merger between Albertsons and Kroger, the parent company of Ralphs and Food 4 Less, was blocked by a judge in late 2024. In the wake of that failed deal, both companies have announced places to trim costs. Grocery Dive listed 60 Kroger-owned stores last year that were slated for closure. None were in San Diego. In parallel, Albertsons has been eyeing ways to spend less. Among the changes, Albertsons, which also owns Safeway, last year announced in an earnings call that it plans to cut spending by $1.5 billion over the next three years.

A local nursery owner in Escondido is suing the state of California in federal court, claiming state agriculture crews are destroying tens of thousands of his plants without compensation.

Mark Collins, the owner of Evergreen Wholesale, said state agriculture employees began destroying about 32,000 citrus plants at his nursery this week. The business has operated in Escondido for about 20 years and has been in the plant-growing industry for roughly 80 years.

“It’s tough,” Collins said. “They’re destroying our citrus crop.”

According to Collins, roughly 25 state agriculture workers are on site in northern Escondido, removing plants he intended to sell.

“Thirty-two thousand plants,” Collins said. “Yeah. Really bad for business."

Collins said this is the first time something like this has happened in his family’s decades-long history in the nursery business. He said inspectors discovered the Asian citrus psyllid bug in some trees about five miles away and determined those trees were carrying a devastating disease.

“Huanglongbing is the name of the disease,” Collins said.

Collins said the trees where the bug was found were discovered two years ago, before the plants now being destroyed even existed.

“I understand that the industry needs to try to protect itself,” Collins said.

Collins said he followed every protocol ordered by the state, including spraying and defending his property.

“Well, they never found a bug here, ever,” Collins said.

Instead of testing or inspecting his property for the bug and disease, Collins claims, the state opted to destroy the plants.

“Our plants, as you can see, they’re healthy and nothing’s wrong with them,” said Rollie, an Evergreen Wholesale employee.

“So, the only guy who’s lost any money in the whole deal so far is me,” Collins said.

Collins estimates his losses could reach up to $3 million, which, he said. is why he decided to sue thesState of California in federal court. He said state officials have no intention of reimbursing him for the plants.

The state employee in charge at the site declined to speak with NBC San Diego. Multiple questions sent to Sacramento went unanswered as of Tuesday evening. A California Department of Food and Agriculture spokesman emailed a statement five days later:

"Huanglongbing (HLB) is a dangerous pest that can devastate citrus plants across large areas. Its infection of citrus trees is difficult to detect as infected trees can appear to be healthy and even falsely test negative for a long time before showing symptoms. Therefore, California’s regulatory requirements aim to protect the citrus industry by preventing accidental spread of the disease. Abatement on residential and other properties in quarantine areas is necessary because of these conditions."

The statement continued, "The abatement action taken on Evergreen Nursery was conducted pursuant to an administrative decision and order after a multiday formal hearing at which Evergreen Nursery was represented by counsel. The abatement was necessary because the nursery opted not to comply with the requirements in the California Code of Regulations applicable to all citrus nursery stock in the quarantine zone. The quarantine zone was imposed based on the detection of HLB, and additional infected trees have subsequently been found in the area."

Adding to Collins’ frustration, he said, is the fact that the state is only destroying citrus plants in pots and not citrus trees planted in the ground that have been there for more than two years.

For now, Collins said, all he can do is watch as state agriculture crews continue destroying thousands of plants at his Escondido nursery.

This story was originally reported for broadcast by NBC San Diego. AI tools helped convert the story to a digital article, and an NBC San Diego journalist edited the article for publication.