A new state bill aims to improve cleanup of abandoned shopping carts.
Joshua Lopez is with the South Bay Clean Creeks Coalition, a volunteer-based group that works to clear local waterways in San Jose.
On Tuesday, we trekked over to the Guadalupe River.
“You start seeing a little more interesting things. You start seeing stuff, like building material too, but you also see things like car parts,” Lopez said.
When it comes to trash in waterways, shopping carts are a problem.
MORE: San Jose rolls out stricter abandoned shopping cart rules for large retailers
“It’s not just they’re kind of hanging out on the side. They’re in the water, and sometimes, because they’re in the water for so long, they get buried under all that sediment, so we have to pull them out,” Lopez said.
Every Wednesday, the group’s volunteers work to restore certain areas off of rivers and creeks. With more than 500 cleanups this year, they’ve pulled out around 2,000 shopping carts.
“I think there was a fish right there, right? These things become like cages to the salmon as they’re coming in. And if there’s not enough water in the waterway, the fish end up getting trapped there,” Lopez said.
On Tuesday, California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a bill that makes changes to the state’s laws on abandoned carts. It allows cities to return carts directly to retailers instead of impounding them. It also allows cities to be compensated for recovering them.
“Not only is the cost unfair to taxpayers, but the blight is unfair to residents. It’s destructive of the environment,” San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan said.
MORE: San Jose wants to recover thousands of abandoned shopping carts with retrieval service
Mahan said cracking down on vandalism is also key to combating blight.
On Tuesday, San Jose police announced the arrest of a man wanted for several gang-motivated tags.
“Many of the issues that make our residents feel safe, are not the most serious violent crime. It’s the petty, recurring property crime, theft, vandalism that we all witness every day as you drive down the street. You see graffiti on public spaces. You just don’t feel safe,” Mahan said.
Mahan said over the last year, through a contractor, the city has cleaned over 2.5 million square feet of graffiti, which is 18% less than the year prior.
“I think we’re seeing a decline in graffiti, because we’re taking it seriously. We’re investigating, we’re apprehending suspects and we’re working with the DA to prosecute,” Mahan said.
To get involved with South Bay Clean Creeks Coalition, Lopez encourages people to follow its social media pages or visit its website here.
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