California Legislation Targets Free Newspaper Thieves
By AAN Staff
june 2, 2008 10:07 am
AB 1778, sponsored by Assemblymember Fiona Ma, passed the California Assembly by a vote of 45-24 on May 22 and is now headed to the State Senate, the
Berkeley Daily Planet reports. The law would require recycling companies to identify those who bring recyclables and newspapers worth $50 or more to sell. "This should give us the ability to cut off the [poachers'] money supply,"
East Bay Express publisher Hal Brody says, since a full pick-up load of newsprint usually fetches $80 to $100. The
Express, along with the
San Francisco Bay Guardian and other Bay Area publications, has been pushing for more action on newspaper theft
in the wake of a rash of heists.