YORBA LINDA

A sudden exodus of major retail stores at local shopping centers has left city officials worried that other businesses and the city’s sales tax revenue might suffer. In the last few months, Orchard Supply Hardware, Ralph grocery store, Chick’s Sporting Goods and the Alpha Beta supermarket--all within blocks of each other--vacated their shops, leaving shopping center owners with large, empty spaces to fill.

Council members said the vacancies are cause for concern. They recently asked city staff members to look into the problem and report back to the council within a month.