SB405 - Statewide Plastic Bags Ban was defeated on 5/30/13

http://cawrecycles.org/whats_new/recycling_news/may30_bagbillupdates

As you may know, SB405 Senate Bill on statewide plastic bags ban was voted on 5/30/13. It was defeated with 18-to-17 votes, 3 votes short to pass. Whew! We were that close to a statewide ban!

For those of you who have picked up the phone, emailed and wrote to your Senators, a big Thank You! Your voices count! We could not afford to sit quiet and let the green people who thought they knew it all to screw up our lives, our businesses and our communities.

What we need to do now is to continue to write to cities, counties, states governments especially if they have not adopted the bans. They must not follow the silliness of this eco-fad.  These governments are under tremendous pressure from green people who bowed to and maybe even benefit from these eco-fads -- selling their green expertise and collecting green consultation fees from private and public sectors, and those who work with non-profits who want to justify their pay checks. We must stand firm, talk back and push back.

And the least you can do -- do not donate to environmental non-profits.  In removing fuel, there is nothing more effective than cut their funding. Without fund, they will not be able to hire or retain staff; especially young adults who happily, blindly follow whatever false "solutions" that the bosses and their peers hum loudly. The so-eager-to-help-and-say-the-same; the typical the king's new shirt phenomena has fed the self-interest green consultants who know how to do businesses with the State and local governments very well.

Real scientists vow to the unbiased principle. Real scientists do not advocate. Real scientists will not get involved in activism. Those who advocate -- are not real scientists. 

I was at Petaluma Premium Outlet this July 4 weekend. What a relief to not be harassed by this "Do you want a bag?" It is 10c a bag." My husband and I bought a Nautica watch for less than $100. We walked into Coach. It was storewide 50% off the lowest price. You can buy a pretty bag for less than $80,  compared to the normal $400 or more. And they were fashionable. Banana Republic has storewide 50% off sales, too. I bought a nice polo shirt for my inlaw for $8. And we got bags! bags! bags!
Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Petaluma! I love you!

We were in Sonoma a week or two before, and walked into this nice household / kitchen items store and bought a few items. We got a bag! No fees! No fees! No fees!
Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Sonoma! I love you, too!

The green people can continue look hard into their oceans to see their imaginary plastic bags -- Oh! My God! They are swimming like blue jelly fishes in our big clean seas! and work hard to prosecute them. They are aero-dynamic. Oh! My god! They are flying all around our big blue skies! They are dotting our tree branches like bright blue and orange lanterns! And cut down more trees to make more paper bags. And why does Santa Cruz charges only 25c per bag? Why not $25? or $250? That will really put Santa Cruz on the map and does its businesses in real well. And Santa Cruzians and its city council can sing loudly that they are the greenest and proudest citizens on earth!

My dear fellows and I -- we will go north to North Bay, inland to Gold Countries, and to other states such as Nevada and Florida that are business-friendly and have better sense of sensibilities, and better things to do. We live! We enjoy lives! And we enjoy spending our money, shopping and vacationing the way we like! Amen!

SB405 Statewide Ban on Plastic Bags will be voted on Senate Floor This Week 5/30 or 5/31

http://www.advancingafreesociety.org/eureka/sacramento-spotlight-ab-158sb-405-statewide-plastic-bag-bans/

The above article is by Carson Bruno, Hoover Institute, Stanford University -- Generate ideas for a free society.

Write to your Senators now!

This link will help you find your Senators / Representatives online:
http://findyourrep.legislature.ca.gov/

California State Senates:  http://senate.ca.gov/senators

California State Assembly Members:  http://assembly.ca.gov/assemblymembers

This website gives you a very good update on bag ban and fee throughout California:
http://cawrecycles.org/

Online Petition to SF Mayor & Board of Supervisors

Dear People,

As promised, I have set up an online petition to S.F. Mayor and the Board of Supervisors on change.org. Click at the link below to go to the petition page:

http://www.change.org/petitions/san-francisco-mayor-edwin-lee-and-board-of-supervisors-to-modify-current-plastic-bag-ban-and-bag-fee

It is now live and waiting for your signature. I am excited and have put in my very first signature. After you sign, you can leave comment. As soon as you sign it, it will fire the petition letter right off!


I am greatly comforted by folks who have quietly uttered words of thanks. I am thankful to the encouragement / kind receptions from various mayors, council members, senators and supervisors on my civic activism. I hope you will stay with me on this journey. Each of us counts! Together, we can make a difference! And don't just quietly pack your bags and "move to Texas." This is our city which is worth fighting for! We will not give up until we put up a good fight!

Daly City, South San Francisco, Pacifica and San Mateo will all impose the ban all fee on ALL stores effective 4/22/13, Earth Day. We have no time to waste. Sign the petition now! And to keep the fire going, please get 3 - 5 more signatures.

For the business owners -- small and big, who are suffering from this bag fee and understand that it turned your customers away, I hope you will be bold and take this opportunity to act. This is your opportunity.

Also, join me in writing to the Federal House Budget Committee to cut 30% funding for non-profits, especially ocean and river related. Since 2/2009 the Federal Stimulus has paid out $787 billion. California is one of the top recipients. It has added  too many jobs to the public and non-profit sectors. It is time to trim fat and bring back some senses of sensibility! -- surprisingly I happened to come to the same idea as Todd Myers who wrote this 2011 book Eco Fads, How the Rise of Trendy Environmentalism is Harming the Environment. He also wrote the article The Trendy Drive to Ban Plastic Bags: Does It Really Help the Environment? You can follow his blog here.

Follow this page Plastic Bags: Local Ordinance on what each city in California is doing. The insanity is so pervasive!

(Some green people do not seem to understand democracy and civic discourse which include a peaceful online petition.These people should take a hard look at themselves in the mirrors and ask "am I really a better person?" before they force their ideology down the throats of their fellow citizens! They are aggressive and almost shamelessly militant!)

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If you have been reading my blog, then you understand that the plastic bags ban is a minor annoyance for me. I use them as trash bags and I replenished them by buying 1000 from Amazon for $19.99. What about other elders in S.F. who don't know how to use computer and are using them as trash bags?
A grocery owner told me that 10c is not sufficient to cover her cost for each paper bag. For $19.99, you can get 1000 plastic bags, which translates to 2c a piece. And 10c is not sufficient for 1 paper bag. Paper costs so much more for paper came from -- trees.

The major offense to me is the 10c per bag fee imposed on ALL retailers, which hurts retailers on discretionary spending. It has turned away shoppers like me who will not even walk into the stores.

While chatting with my aunt in hospital recently. She said "It is so hard for the retailers to make some profits. Help them out with that 10c for the bag." She did not realize that we are talking about Macys, Nordstrom, Saks Fifth who don't need my 10c for the bag.

And I said "Aunty, imagine I gave you a gift. And then I said "Give me 10c for the bag." How would you feel?" I could not drawn a better analogy.

People in Europe bring their own bags. All right. And Europe is in decline, due to -- austerity measures and demographic shrinkage. Why are their youths leaving for U.S.?

The U.S. is doing fine -- for the consumers have greased the wheel of economy. 70% of our economy came from consumer spending. As long as we keep on spending, our economy will keep going and our jobs will keep paying.

From Tree to Paper | How paper is made

Watch this video on how paper is made. Is it better than thin film plastic bags which you later use for trash and pick up after your dog?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fZ3HQ9lBHuA

How It's Made Plastic Bags

How Plastic Bags Get Recycled

Contact info: Supervisors, US Senators, CA Governor, CA Senators and Assembly Members

Here are the links to our mayor, supervisors, governor, CA and US senators and assembly members:

1.  SF Board of Supervisors  - https://sfbos.org/
     For folks outside of San Francisco, google "board of supervisors and + your county" or "city of + your city", look for city council, city government or council members under "contact us" page where you will find mayor, vice mayor / mayor pro tem, and your council members.

2. SF Mayor London Breed: https://sfmayor.org/

3. Governor Gavin Newsom: https://www.gov.ca.gov/

4. Lieutenant Governor Eleni Kounalakis: https://ltg.ca.gov/

This link will help you find your California Senators / Representatives:
http://findyourrep.legislature.ca.gov/

5. California State Senates:  http://senate.ca.gov/senators

6. California State Assembly Members:  http://assembly.ca.gov/assemblymembers

www.govtrack.us  -- This page help you find your US Senators and US Representatives:  http://www.govtrack.us/congress/members/CA

7. California US Senators: Dianne Feinstein & Kamala Harris
 http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm?State=CA

8. California US House of Representatives: http://www.house.gov/representatives/