Comments@THE GUSS REPORT-In his familiar pearl-clutching tone, Los Angeles City Councilmember Mitch O’Farrell (photo, above left center) last week declared human use of drinking straws “a major environmental calamity.”
Oh dear!
O’Farrell’s law, which got scant applause from his distracted colleagues, requires restaurants to stop providing drinking straws unless they are requested by the customer, which will eventually be required of fast-food restaurants as well as the phasing in of paper straws.
All in all, it’s not a bad idea if you agree that a cleaner, more biodegradable planet is better. The issue here is the amount of time and resources O’Farrell says it took to accomplish this goal, which was an entire year and then-some.
And then there’s the issue of O’Farrell’s perspective.
If straws constitute “a major environmental calamity,” how does O’Farrell describe, and why hasn’t he prioritized, the plight of hundreds of people living alongside, and on the median of, the 101 Freeway running through his Council District? What about the environmental calamity of dozens of adults, children and animals living under the 101 at Vermont Avenue?
Maybe he should spend the upcoming Memorial Day weekend in these homeless camps; one overnight in each location, or the whole weekend with the Vermont Avenue folks.
O’Farrell was unwilling to field live questions about his straw legislation, and his staff only offered a handout, which was politely declined. Politicians who only speak through PDFs, PowerPoint presentations or spokespeople, don’t have their propaganda published, at least not on the white space of this page.
A few months ago, minutes after straws appeared on City Council’s agenda, I snapped this photo of O’Farrell mingling as he stirred his coffee…with a plastic straw stirrer. That’s another question I’d have asked O’Farrell; why are you banning plastic straws from restaurants, but haven’t managed to ban them from City Hall? It’s the ultimate low hanging fruit.
Should O’Farrell care to explore his and City Hall’s extensive carbon footprint, I would like to know whether he thinks it’s time for the City to get rid of its fleet of thousands of leased vehicles, whether gas guzzlers or hybrids, including those misused and bizarre mini BMW electric cars, (photo below) which we have not because they were needed, but as carbon offsets for other pollution City Hall causes. (In this David Goldstein report on KCBS, a high-ranking LAPD official was found taking one of the Beamers to her manicure appointment.)
Getting rid of the fleet would not only force the City Hall into living as it preaches, it would save millions of dollars on the vehicle leases, the cost of their maintenance and gassing and insuring them. O’Farrell could today lead that charge, and simply reimburse people for using their own vehicles on a per mile basis when driving for work-related activities.
In fact, O’Farrell could explore providing a greater per mile reimbursement for staffers who buy Priuses and other green vehicles…with their own money. Oh dear, using their own money to get to work?!?! What’s the world coming to?
Further, O’Farrell can – as soon as tomorrow – jumpstart a program to offer tens of thousands of city employees free transit passes and other perks if they give up driving to work permanently. And if they need to get to an event, they can take LA’s illustrious subway and bus system!
Imagine how much fresher the air will be once nanny state-ism becomes reality at City Hall. And who could disagree with thousands fewer City Hall employees driving on our streets and freeways?
Let’s go, Mitch! The ball is in your court!
Then again, just 15 months ago, while O’Farrell fretted over straws, his colleague, Councilmember Nury Martinez told David Zahniser and Laura Nelson of the LA Times this about the Red Line:
“‘As a mom, I can tell you it’s terrifying to sometimes think of having to get on the Red Line. I won’t for that very reason,’ she said. ‘I don’t have to see the data collection to know that if I feel unsafe to ride the train with my kid, that I’m just simply not going to use it. I know a lot of people who feel the same way, and it’s simply not acceptable,’ said the councilwoman, who represents part of the San Fernando Valley.”
But if LA’s public transit is good enough for us, it should be good enough for City Hall.
Regardless, now that the straw menace has been tamed, show some leadership, Mr. O’Farrell, and give up your free vehicle within 30 days. Walk, bike or take a bus, as you and your peers always tell us. Then create a workable system for your staff to get to the office with their own vehicles or public transportation and spread it to all City Hall employees.
Take initiative today, make it a reality and I will be your biggest champion.
Heck, just show us that you are willing to ease up your own carbon footprint before legislating about our calamitous habits. Until then, I’ll have mine with a straw.
(Daniel Guss, MBA, is a member of the Los Angeles Press Club, and has contributed to CityWatch, KFI AM-640, Huffington Post, Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Daily News, Los Angeles Magazine, Movieline Magazine, Emmy Magazine, Los Angeles Business Journal and elsewhere. Follow him on Twitter @TheGussReport. Join his mailing list or offer verifiable tips and story ideas at [email protected]. His opinions are his own and do not necessarily reflect the views of CityWatch.) Prepped for CityWatch by Linda Abrams.
