Support the Responsible Battery Recycling Act (Senate Bill 1215 and Assembly Bill 2440)

 Please help pass the Responsible Battery Recycling Act (Senate Bill 1215 and Assembly Bill 2440). 

This measure would create a collection and recycling program in which consumers can dispose of small household batteries and battery-embedded products at free collection sites. The legislation would require companies that manufacture lithium-ion batteries and battery-embedded products sold in California to develop, finance, and implement this program in collaboration with CalRecycle, the state office that oversees waste management, recycling and waste reduction programs.

In 2005, California banned lithium-ion batteries from the regular trash stream while requiring some retailers to provide a battery-return option. It was a good start: In 2020, more than 400,000 pounds of lithium-ion batteries were reported collected. That, unfortunately, is a fraction of those discarded. Resource Recycling Systems estimates that 75% to 92% of expended lithium-ion batteries are discarded improperly.

The Statewide Commission on Recycling Markets and Curbside Recycling strongly recommends including lithium-ion batteries and battery-embedded products in such a program. 

It’s definitely past time to make discarding old rechargeable electronics easy and free for all Californians.

Thank you 

Stan Hutchings

45 Estates Drive, San Anselmo, CA 94960​

senator.mcguire@senate.ca.gov

Marc Levine

Similes and metaphors are often misleading

Robert Foti used a very misleading simile in his post "Unvaccinated people with masks are like yellow stars", equating masks to yellow stars in Nazi Germany. (https://enewspaper.marinij.com/?utm_email_=85831594F44154BE428E845888&lctg=85831594F44154BE428E845888&utm_source=listrak&utm_medium=email&utm_term=https%3A%2F%2Fenewspaper.marinij.com%2F%3FselDate%3D20220225%26goTo%3DA01%26authid%3D%3C%3Cbang%5Csjmn_match_code%3E%3E%26authdate%3D022522074605&utm_campaign=bang-marin-e-edition&utm_content=e-edition&selDate=20220225&goTo=A01)

It's been said that the argument is lost when Hitler and Nazi Germany are invoked. 

I for one see no correlation at all except as a desperate distraction from a more accurate simile, such as bells on lepers warning unclean or the quarantine notices where infectious diseases are being contained to prevent their spread to healthy people.

Indeed, masks provide a visible sign of the “unclean”, i.e. potentially infectious nature, of the unvaccinated as a warning to others.

Stan Hutchings

45 Estates Drive

San Anselmo

650-325-1359

Do not reduce the gas tax

 Please do not reduce the gas tax. If anything, it should be increased. 

If you want to help lower-income people, give larger rebates and tax credits for the purchase of electric vehicles, solar panels, and batteries so we can increasingly move from polluting vehicles to clean electric vehicles. 

People are still buying ICE cars despite the rising gas costs. The higher gas tax will help reverse this trend and encourage people to buy electric vehicles, especially if there is a financial "carrot" besides the "stick" of higher gas prices.  Additionally, add a "carbon combustion and pollution" charge to all new ICE vehicles. I suggest 10% of the purchase price. That can be used to fund rebates and tax credits for electric vehicles.

It should be the case that only wealthy people can afford to buy and operate ICE vehicles.

Gov. Newsome

Sen. McGuire

Marc Levine