Aug 28 - Advocacy Group To Derail Bag Bill Found To Be Fictitious
San Jose Mercury News' latest article on bags illustrates the desperate political maneuvering by the plastic and paper industry to kill SB 270, the plastic bag ban bill.
With the deadline for SB 270 to pass a crucial floor vote looming, legislators received a letter from a 'Latino advocacy group' that urged legislators to vote no on the bag bill because it would harm Latino families. Mercury News reported yesterday, "Turns out the letter was distributed by an industry lobbyist and that the advocacy group is fictitious". In addition, the opponents have resorted to using Twitter trolls to bash the bill.
SB 270 fell just 3 votes short of passage (38 to 33) on Monday, but it was granted reconsideration. It can be heard as early as this morning.
We've spent the last 4 days educating the 8 legislators who did not vote on Monday (as well as several legislators who voted 'no'), and we hope that they will join us in supporting this historic bill when it is reheard. We anticipate that this will happen later today.
*Update: August 28, 2014, 11:57 am: SB 270 advances off the Assembly floor 44-29. Thanks to all for your hard work and support!"
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(SB 270 is File Item 63)
Thanks to everyone for calling/emailing/tweeting in support!