COSTA MESA : Stores to Be Fined for Abandoned Shopping Carts

Beginning March 1, the city will fine businesses whose shopping carts are abandoned in city streets.

After 30 minutes of discussing the issue, the City Council this week adopted an ordinance that fines owners of abandoned shopping carts if the city has to retrieve them from the streets.

The fine schedule will be set by the council within the next 30 days. The fines will help pay the cost of a cart retrieval program, which the city is starting. That program will cost between $5,000 and $8,000, City Manager Allan L. Roeder said.

The City Council, before it adopted the ordinance by a 3-2 vote, discussed whether to pass the ordinance immediately, or require all businesses in the city to come up with their own cart retrieval program.

To do that, the council would need to amend the business license ordinance, said City Atty. Thomas Kathe. Council members will vote on that in March.

Though he ultimately voted for the ordinance, Councilman Peter F. Buffa said he had reservations about the city “getting into the cart retrieval business.” Buffa said the owners of the carts should be retrieving them from the streets.

Councilwoman Sandra L. Genis said she thought it was time to adopt the ordinance or else the problem, considered a public nuisance, would never be resolved.

“Civil penalties must be imposed,” she said.

Council members Gary Monahan and Mary Hornbuckle voted against the ordinance.

Under the ordinance, businesses that already have a cart retrieval program in place may be exempt from the fines.