LA Philanthropy Watch

[Video clip of Representative Joe Barton (R-TX) appears below.]

Kahn Shoeib of Consumer Watchdog has been LiveBlogging this week at the U.S. House of Representatives Energy and Commerce hearing on big oil.  This was posted this morning (”Rep. Barton: I apologize for Obama’s ’shakedown’“):

Rep. Barton from TX, drawing murmurs from across the room, publicly apologizes to BP for the White House’s success in getting BP to commit to a $20 Billion escrow account to compensate the people who have suffered from the oil spill.

Calling the White House’s efforts a “shakedown”, and hinting that they may be “illegal”, Barton decries President Obama’s pressure on the sanctity of a “private” corporation. Barton is “ashamed”, and analogizes the WH’s actions to a Congressmen coercing a private corporation to spend $20 Billion in his district.

Hmm. This is interesting from a lawmaker who has sponsored or cosponsored more than $50 million in Congressional earmarks since 2008, mostly for that same district. Why is it bad to  get BP to pay compensation for its misdeeds, and good to ding taxpayers for pork projects in your district?

[Editor's note: I've changed the link to 'more than $50 million in Congressional earmarks,' since Consumer Watchdog's link was to Representative Barton Jennings Gordon (D-TN).]

Here’s the video, courtesy of TPMtv:

(Regarding the image: the face of BP throughout much of California is ARCO, a subsidiary of BP.)

Monday’s Los Angeles Times featured an article on plastic grocery bags (“The question is still in the bag: Paper or plastic?” by Catherine Saillant, May 31, 2010).

“When San Francisco adopted the nation’s first ban on plastic grocery bags three years ago, euphoric supporters predicted that California’s addiction to the flimsy throwaway carriers was finally coming to an end.

But since then just one other city — Malibu — has enacted a ban. Attempts by two dozen other cities and counties to adopt their own regulations have been stopped cold. State legislation has failed three times.”

Grocery store lobbyists and lawsuits by plastic bag manufacturers have stopped the progress cold.  The article quotes Mark Gold, president of Heal the Bay:

“It’s hugely frustrating,” he said.  ”A lot of us thought San Francisco was showing us the way to change. But these are well-funded industries and the stakes are high.”

This afternoon, the San Francisco Chronicle’s website reported that the California Assembly passed a bill banning plastic grocery bags statewide (”State plastic bag ban gaining support,” by Marisa Lagos, June 2, 2010); the bill would also require shoppers to bring their own bags or pay five cents for paper bags composed of at least 40% recycled materials at the counter.  AB 1998, written by Julia Brownley of Santa Monica, was sponsored by Heal the Bay; it passed by a vote of 41 to 27.

Governor Schwarzenegger has pledged to sign the bill if it gets to his desk.

Mark Gold’s Spouting Off blog had a brief post about the proposed ban on plastic bags (“Bagging a Win”) on April 14, after the bill passed out of the Assembly’s Natural Resources Committee.

The mission of the Theodore Payne Foundation (a nonprofit in Sun Valley, just a few miles north of Los Angeles) is to:

• to promote and restore California landscapes and habitats,
• to propagate and make available California native plants and wildflowers, and
• to educate and acquire knowledge about California flora and natural history.

The foundation has a beautiful selection of native plants and wildflowers for sale.  Since they require little water and no fertilizers or pesticides, a yard with California natives  conserves a valuable resource, contributes to cleaner water at the beach, and reduces global warming.

For two consecutive weekends the foundation’s native plant nursery is having its biggest sale of the year.  On Friday, October 9 – Saturday, October 10 the sale is for members of the foundation.  Nonmembers may purchase plants and seeds for at regular prices; memberships are available at the door.  On Friday, October 17 – Saturday, October 18 all shoppers will receive a 10% discount.  (The foundation is closed on Sundays.)

The Theodore Payne Foundation website is a great resource; check it out.

“When you’re daydreaming about a trip to the shore this summer – I’m guessing human or animal waste in the waves that can send you running to the bathroom, doctor’s office – or worse – the emergency room, isn’t part of the picture. Am I right?

Unfortunately – that is reality, according to the Natural Resources Defense Council’s 19th annual Testing the Waters report ….”  — Nancy Stoner, Co-Director, NRDC Water Program

The Natural Resources Defense Council released its report on the nation’s beaches yesterday – and there was mostly bad news for California’s 426 coastal beaches (though results reported for the year 2008 were slightly better than the previous year).  More than 70% of California’s beaches were monitored in 2008; 10 percent of the samples collected “exceeded the state’s daily maximum bacterial standards.”  Of the nine worst beaches in California, four were in Los Angeles County: Avalon Beach-North of GP Pier, Cabrillo Beach, Santa Monica Beach, and Malibu Beach-Paradise Cove.

In May (as noted in this morning’s LA Times article on the NRDC report),  Heal the Bay offered its 19^th annual Beach Report Card ,which has grown to include beaches throughout California, not just those in LA County.  Its report included 6 (of 10) LA County beaches on its California “Beach Bummer” list: each of the beaches listed above, plus the Colorado Lagoon and the City of Long Beach LA River outlet.

Stormwater runoff and overflowing sewers, both prevalent during rainy months, are the two largest known sources of polluted beaches.  Drier conditions were credited for the improvement California beaches experienced in 2008 (compared with 2007).

But don’t despair!  On a more upbeat note, Nancy Stoner (quoted at the beginning of this post) offers a number of proposed solutions to bring us cleaner, safer beaches, including: “upgrading sewage treatment facilities and using low impact development techniques that retain and filter rainwater where it falls and let it soak back into the ground, rather than runoff it into waterways”; climate legislation that just passed the House of Representatives; better testing; and simple steps to follow in daily life.

Heal the Bay has ample volunteer opportunities “in every shape and size” for anyone who wants to get involved and NRDC invites volunteers to join its Activist Network.

This past weekend, Triple Pundit featured eco-friendly shoes from New Balance, which caught my eye because I’ve been an avid runner (and – Disclosure – a longtime fan of NB shoes) for more than 30 years.

One of the most popular social change blogs on the web, Triple Pundit, is based in the San Francisco Bay Area.  3p offers a daily fresh helping of interesting and useful ideas on creating a sustainable environment, society and business.

If you’re interested in a sustainable environment, and practical ideas for businesses and organizations, check it out.  It’s a lively site (created by “critical optimists”) that will lift your spirits.