Automated Calls Sent Out To Residents Of San Luis Obispo County

Over the weekend of January 7th, residents of San Luis Obispo received automated calls from the Environmental Safety Alliance asking them to contact the board members of the Integrated Waste Management Authority opposing the plastic bag ban vote to be held on January 11th at the Board of Supervisors chambers located at 1055 Monterey St., San Luis Obispo.  The meeting to vote on a plastic bag ban takes place at 2:00 pm.

Meetings have been taking place for months to discuss the possible plastic bag ban, which is scheduled to go into effect in October if it passes, and at those meetings have been members from Integrated Waste Management Authority (in favor of the ban),  The Coalition of Labor (against the ban), Business and Agriculture of San Luis Obispo County (against the ban) and SLO Coastkeeper (in favor of the ban) to name a few of the attendees.  Public interest has also been expressed and encouraged at the meetings and everyone attending the meetings has been forthright with their affiliation and their stance.

In the automated calls that went out over the weekend, residents were asked to contact and voice their opposition to the ban, to 4 specific members of the Integrated Waste Management Authority who voted in favor of the ban.  However, only 4 our 6 members who were in favor of the ban were mentioned in the call to be contacted.

The Environmental Safety Alliance has not made it’s voice heard until this last weekend, just before the final meeting is to take place, and no one is sure of who the members are, or who is funding the alliance.   Members from the San Luis Obispo Tribune were able to investigate and identify two members from the alliance that were involved with the calls.  One person from the alliance, identified in the calls by starting off the call with, “This is Dr. Robert Johnson,” is a doctor of musical art, not medicine, he told The Tribune.   However, residents who received the call would think that Dr. Robert Johnson is a medical doctor calling to discuss the health issues possibly associated with using reusable grocery bags over single use plastic bags.

The Environmental Safety Alliance does not have a telephone number listed on their website, nor are any of the member names listed.  Residents are suspecting that the alliance could be made up of, or funded by, plastics companies who are not in favor of banning plastic bags.  The alliances approach to discouraging the ban are to make residents fearful of the possible food related illnesses that could occur from using dirty reusable shopping bags.

Members in favor of passing the ban will be educating residents on the importance of keeping their eco friendly bags clean along with tips of things like great places to keep your bags so they are always on hand, like the back pocket of the drivers seat.  Community announcements of the possible ban will be shared with the community to get everyone ready for the change, as well as to help retailers use up the plastic bags they have already purchased.

The final meeting will be held on January 11th at the Board of Supervisors chambers located at 1055 Monterey St., San Luis Obispo.  The meeting to vote on a plastic bag ban takes place at 2:00 pm.