Update / Follow-up on the news
Taking a cue from nearby cities, Tustin is also investigating ways to deal with abandoned shopping carts.
City Council members debated the issue this week, saying they might be willing to challenge a recent state law that restricts how shopping carts can be collected.
“We have to crack down,” Mayor Tracy Wills Worley said. “We’re not going to put up with this blight.”
The new state law, which took effect in January, forbids city workers from collecting abandoned carts for three days so that grocers have time to retrieve their property first, thereby avoiding fees that cities could charge for gathering and returning them.
Complying with the mandate and keeping the streets clean could cost the city up to $7,000 a month, officials said.
In 1995, the city set up a voluntary plan, which offered several suggestions to grocers, but reception was lukewarm and only two retailers participated.
After a lengthy discussion, the council directed the Police Department to suggest enforcement ideas.
“We need to go on the offensive,” Councilman Jim Potts said.
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