LONG BEACH—Grocery company Kroger announced Feb. 1 it will be shuttering two of its stores in Long Beach—a Ralph’s location and a Food4Less store—in response to a city ordinance requiring a $4 “hero pay” salary boost for some workers. “As a result of the city of Long Beach’s decision to pass an ordinance mandating extra pay for grocery workers, we have made the difficult decision to permanently close long-struggling store locations in Long Beach,” according to a company statement. “This misguided action by the Long Beach City Council oversteps the traditional bargaining process and applies to some, but not all, grocery workers in the city. “The irreparable harm that will come to employees and local citizens as a direct result of the city of Long Beach’s attempt to pick winners and losers, is deeply unfortunate. We are truly saddened that our associates and customers will ultimately be the real victims …