NCRA Bills Support May Update

By Doug Brooms, ZWAC Co-Chair
The NCRA Advocacy Webpage “2022 Legislation” has been updated, as of 5/08/22. As a member of the Clean Seas Lobby Coalition, NCRA is a signatory to support letters for least 12 Bills.

Among CalRecycle’s Priority Bills, at least 18 Bills are no longer listed and presumed inactive. Another 7 Bills have been deemed as insufficient interest to NCRA. That leaves some 21 Assembly Bills and 19 Senate Bills remaining of potential interest to NCRA, mostly for support. Some are still scheduled for committee hearings, but most have been placed in the respective Appropriations Committee Suspense File. The Senate Appropriations Suspense File Hearing date is 5/19/22, and likely the same as for the Assembly Suspense File Hearing.

For a concise description of the Appropriations Committee deliberations, here is one of 12 paragraphs taken from Indivisible’s 2019 The California Legislature 101:

Appropriations committee: After passing policy committee, bills go the Appropriations Committee which analyze the fiscal impact of the bill. All bills which have a fiscal note of more than $150,000 in the Assembly and $50,000 in the Senate (this is most bills) are referred to something known as the Appropriations Suspense File. Once bills go the suspense file, legislators lobby the chair of the Appropriations Committee to take their bills “off suspense.” This process is secretive with no public visibility. In the suspenseful suspense file hearing, all the chosen bills are pulled off suspense, voted on, and passed. The others are left on the suspense file to die.

A more elucidating 2021 article is Understanding How A California Bill Dies Without Public Debate (thanks Valerie).

The number of CalRecycle Priority Bills that will be taken off of Suspense and allowed to advance, likely will be of a smaller more manageable number from which to finally select candidates for NCRA support. As always, anyone is welcome to share recommendations and to assist with drafting position letters. Thanks for considering.

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ZWAC Legislative Report, April 2022

By Doug Brooms, Zero Waste Advocacy Committee Co-Chair, 4/14/22

Following up last night’s ZWAC meeting, we now know that there is a hearing on SB 983 before the Senate Judiciary committee chaired by Senator Umberg on 4/19/22 at 1:30pm where people can appear remotely and register their support or opposition and a link was shared on the chat to do so.Jenn Engstrom of CalPIRG and Liz Chamberlain of Ifixit.com both asked if NCRA members could contact their legislators to express support. SB 983 seems to be a lot like the plastic bag referenda in 2018 (as something NCRA would clearly support) where NCRA made a big effort to support the plastic bag bans with videos, phone trees, and in-person community outreach

At the ZWAC Showcase yesterday, the topic was Right to Repair. Zoom attendees included I believe four who were participating from New Zealand, including featured Recycling Pioneer Warren Snow, credited as the first person in the World to create “Zero Waste” in New Zealand as a goal. Attendees spoke passionately about SB 983, the need for Right to Repair as a Zero Waste issue, and urged NCRA to “help bust the monopoly on repair”. Jenn mentioned that Californians on average throw away 46,000 cell phones every day. Should the NCRA montra be fixed: “Reduce, Repair, Reuse, Recycle”?

Below is a note from CPSC, urging support for SB 1256, another Bill that NCRA has signed on to support. SB 983 is also scheduled for the same Senate Judiciary Hearing on 4/19. Of the 11 Judiciary Committee members, only two represent the Bay Area, Bob Wieckowski in Fremont and Scott Wiener in San Francisco. If you are a constituent, then prior to the hearing, consider calling their Sacramento office to state that you support these Bills (Only takes a minute).

For the Tuesday 4/19 hearing, here is the agenda and sequence of the 29 scheduled Bills. For anyone willing to call in during the hearing to voice support for either or both SB 983 and SB 1256, see the Teleconference Instructions. Another Bill scheduled for 4/19 that you might consider is SB 1173 Public retirement systems: Fossil fuels: Divestment. Here is one article in support of the CA Divestment Act.

Consider forwarding this to constituents in other Judiciary Committee members’ districts. Thanks for any and all support and activism.

From Nate Pelczar, California Product Stewardship Council, 4/13/22

Just a quick note to please reach out to the following members in support of SB 1256, which is the bill we’re sponsoring regarding single-use 1lb propane cylinders.  We ask that you reach out to these offices if you are in the member’s district and ask your member to support SB 1256 next Tuesday, April 19th, in the Senate Judiciary Committee hearing.  I’ve also attached the original press release and the latest bill Q&A document for your convenience.  Please let me know if you have any questions.

Yours in advocacy, CPSC Team

Member District Offices Party Room Phone Fax
Borgeas, Andreas (Vice-Chair) 8 Fresno, Oakdale, Sutter Creek R 7240 (1021 O St.) 916 651 4008 916 651 4908
Caballero, Anna 12 Merced, Salinas D 7620 (1021 O St.) 916 651 4012 916 651 4912
Durazo, Maria Elena 24 Los Angeles D 7530 (1021 O St.) 916 651 4024 916 651 4924
Gonzalez, Lena 33 Long Beach, Huntington Park D 7720 (1021 O St.) 916 651 4033 916 651 4933
Hertzberg, Robert 18 Van Nuys D 8610 (1021 O St.) 916 651 4018 916 651 4918
Jones, Brian 38 El Cajon, Escondido R 7140 (1021 O St.) 916 651 4038 916 651 4938
Laird, John 17 Monterey, San Luis Obispo, Santa Cruz D 8720 (1021 O St.) 916 651 4017 916 651 4917
Stern, Henry 27 Calabasas D 7710 (1021 O St.) 916 651 4027 916 651 4927
Umberg, Thomas (Chair) 34 Santa Ana D 6730 (1021 O St.) 916 651 4034 916 651 4934
Wieckowski, Bob 10 Fremont D 6530 (1021 O St.) 916 651 4410 916 651 4910
Wiener, Scott 11 San Francisco D 6630 (1021 O St.) 916 651 4011 916 651 4911