• California City News Run Amok: 001 Goleta Tackles Plastic

I'm dialed into city-level news from all over the state, and sometimes the nation. I'm going to start a series of blogs where I share with you what other cities are doing and ask if you think that Wildomar should join in, or that you're glad we've resisted the temptation to overreach what we were elected to do.

As you can tell by the opening paragraph, most times I'll be sharing things that I can't imagine bringing to the Wildomar city council agenda... letting you know that W'mar dodged another headache. 

I'm not a fan of the Nanny State, especially when pushed by a small city, but maybe you disagree and want an activist city council?

This story comes by way of KYET.com and there will be a link to the original story at the bottom of the blog.

Goleta approaches plastic prohibition deadline of June 1

The coastal city of 32,000 people is set to battle plastics, and other single-use items. I find that to be a noble idea, but can't see how passing a city ordinance is supposed to actually do anything in the big picture. 

Plastic Free Goleta is a comprehensive plastic pollution reduction scheme with regulations that touch businesses and residents alike.

The ordinance was adopted last Summer and will be going into effect soon. The requirements include the use of reusable food ware (real plates instead of disposable) for businesses with dining on-premises and prohibitions on the following:

• Disposable single-use plastic cutlery and straws
• Polystyrene foodware
• Polystyrene packing materials and coolers
• Polystyrene egg cartons, meat trays, and produce trays
• Release of latex and mylar balloons
• Sale and distribution of mylar balloons
• Distribution of single-use plastic beverage bottles at City facilities

These regulations are part of the city's efforts to reduce waste by prohibiting the distribution and use of common single-use plastic items... which is noble and filled with good intentions. 

Perhaps some of these things need to be regulated, I'm willing to hear that argument, but what I can't get with is thinking that would fall to a city. Seems like either a national, state or at least a county issue to me. 

I personally reuse plastic containers when at all possible, and I also do my best to recycle the rest. Trying to limit the balloons at your kid's birthday party shouldn't be anyone's business but your own. 

Who do you want to make these decisions for you?

Yea or Nay... do you want to see this type of thing in Wildomar?

Here is a link to the city of Goleta's page that details the why of it all. LINK

Again, as I've already said, I'm all for the reduction of trash that comes from many single-use items (without such, Wildomar Beautification Volunteers would probably have collected half as many bags of trash over the years, and I'm not joking.) I'm just not keen on local officials trying to do jobs they were NOT elected to do. 

Link to KEYT story