Shoreline Initiative Campaign

May 16, 2013

Contact: Tom Jamieson, 206-300-7606

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Shoreline Residents to Kick Off Initiative Petition to Repeal Shoreline Plastic Bag Ban Shoreline, WA (May 16, 2013).

Local residents opposed to the City of Shoreline’s recent action banning the distribution of plastic carryout bags are circulating an initiative petition to repeal the ban. Their effort, in partnership with Save Our Choice, an organizer of similar efforts in Seattle and Issaquah, will officially kick off on Saturday, May 18. Signature gatherers will be stationed outside Haggen Northwest Fresh, located at 1201 N 175th Street in Shoreline, between 10:00 am and 5:00 pm.

“The City has overstepped its bounds,” said petition co-organizer Tom Jamieson, a Shoreline resident. “This ordinance unjustifiably restrains trade, punishes customers, provides no provable benefit to the environment, and includes no method for measuring reductions in waste or litter. Moreover, reusable bags have not been shown to be in the best interest of the health, safety and welfare of the people of the City of Shoreline.”

Ordinance No. 653, which regulates the distribution of plastic and paper carryout bags by Shoreline retail establishments was adopted by the Shoreline City Council on April 29, 2013. The new regulations become effective on February 1, 2014.

The initiative petition calls for adoption of a new ordinance prohibiting regulation of the distribution of retail carryout bags; and repealing Shoreline Ordinance No. 653.
Approximately 6,000 signatures must be collected by July 13. The City Council would then have to either adopt the new ordinance in its entirety (thereby repealing Ordinance No. 653) or put the question to the voters in the City’s next general election.

The Shoreline Initiative Petition is available for download at http://www.saveourchoice.us

For more information or to volunteer, please contact Tom Jamieson at 206-300-7606 or
info {a*t} saveourchoice {d0t} us.

Contributions (check, no cash) may be mailed to Save Our Choice,
PO Box 16716, Seattle, WA 98116.

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Issaquah City Council video, adopting ban

This video of the City Council has the issue and vote on the bag ban. Unfortunately, the hours long video will need to load so you can jump to the bag ban segments.

Load the June 4, 2012 video at this page. Or try this direct link to video – it will want to start Windows Media Player, or compatible video player on your system.

• Public testimony on the ban occurs at minute 11:30. Then the Council moves to other business.
• The Council returns to the bag ban issue, and votes to adopt ban, beginning at minute 2:59:20 (yes, at 2 hours, 59 minutes)

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Referendum valid in Issaquah

Someone at the Issaquah Press article commented that “ issaquah is not a referendum/petition driven city”.

Just to clarify …

The City of Issaquah does support / allow referendum of ordinance, according to City Code 1.12.010. See this link to code …

http://www.codepublishing.com/WA/Issaquah/html/Issaquah01/Issaquah0112.html#1.12.010

So valid signatures on our petition will count toward getting the bag ban ordinance on the next municipal ballot, for a vote of the people.

A valid signature is a resident of Issaquah registered to vote.

– Save Our Choice Campaign

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JUNE 2012: Campaign shifts to repeal Issaquah ban

The Save Our Choice campaign is now shifting to repeal the plastic bag ban in Issaquah, WA.

See the front / home page to download of the petition to gather signatures. Registered voters, who reside in Issaquah, must sign the petition.

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Seattle Bag Ban Repeal collects signatures insufficient to refer ORD 123775 to August ballot.

January 17, 2012, Tuesday

Today the all-volunteer Save Our Choice reports that over 2000 signatures were collected toward the 16,503 requirement for ballot referral. The signature deadline to the Seattle City Clerk is Tuesday January 17th, 5PM. Consequently, the Save Our Choice referendum cannot force City Council to refer ORD 123775 to the August ballot. Rather, City Council may still refer ORD 123775 to the ballot or repeal ORD 123775 at its own choosing.

“The damage so arrogantly and swiftly inflicted six days prior to Christmas by McGinn, O’Brien, Licata, Conlin, Clark, Rasmussen, Godden, Harrell, Burgess and Bagshaw was never going to be easily reversed,” observed SOC co-founder Craig Keller. “Especially with near zero financial participation from the businesses who will be most directly impacted. Many are really struggling in this Great Recession. This bag ban is the classic overregulation by zealots who refuse to calculate the cost in jobs and the drain from consumer wallets and purses.”

“Each councilmember disrespected the citizen vote of 2009 by launching their attack upon retailers who employ thousands of real people in Seattle. Their mischaracterization of the plastic grocery bag as ‘single-use’ is dishonest on its face as 90%+ of consumers reuse their plastic bags for countless useful purposes. Most resuse their bags for garbage liners or for pet waste. Councilmembers even included biodegradable and compostable plastic bags in their ban.

“I say ‘remember in November,’ suggested Keller. “Unfortunately we must wait until November of 2013 before O’Brien, McGinn, Conlin, Licata and Bagshaw once again beg for our trust. Councilman Harrell is rumored to be exploring a run for Congress this year.”

“In the two short weeks since New Years our recruitment of merchants to collect signatures revealed two things. Number one, most mechants were either unaware of the ban or in denial that councilmembers could be so disruptive to their businesses. Number two, we learned that few merchants have developed contingency plans and if so find them more costly for both merchant and customer. One clothing merchant who collected repeal signatures has priced paper bags for wrapping apparel purchases at 17¢ per bag. Yet that small paper bag costing 17¢ will not accommodate larger purchases that today fit inside one plastic bag. Consumers will pay more and retailers will sell less. Combined with higher parking taxes and meter rates, this ban is just one more council-inflicted wound upon Seattle retail.

Beginning July 1 “greenshirts” from Seattle Public Utilities will be authorized to fine merchants $500 fines for noncompliance. To place in perspective, the $500 fine is higher than the Council’s $140 fine they now levy through their “red light” cameras.

What’s next for Seattle merchants and consumers? That could be a wholesale cleanout of Council or repeal of Ordinance 123775 via citizens initiative (different from the present referendum) which would require collection of 20,628 signatures across 180 days.

“I thank the hundreds of Seattle voters who cared enough to collect over 2000 signatures and lick a stamp to mail their petitions. I thank several of Seattle’s bedrock retailers who collected signatures from their sales counters. They stood up to correct Council’s suicidal behavior. Many more businesses will stand as they come to calculate the damage.

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VIDEO – Opponent of Seattle’s plastic bag ban hopes to put it to public vote

Q13 news report.

• Opponent of Seattle’s plastic bag ban hopes to put it to public vote – 3:34 min video may pause even with broadband connection.

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Seattle Times article

• Petition seeks vote on Seattle plastic-bag ban

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King 5 TV coverage, video!

Here’s the King 5 TV video coverage.

• One man’s mission to bag Seattle’s plastic bag ban

FYI, this is not a one man mission, hundreds are downloading the signature petition.

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Deadline updated

We have changed the deadline to get your petitions to the campaign.

Submit all your signatures to the campaign by Saturday, January 14, 2012.

We have updated the deadline info on the petition PDF, but send any petition signatures on the older version – they are valid!

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