After listening to what birthday boy Mehaul O’Leary wittily referred to as a mixed bag of community speakers, the City Council last evening made passing a ban on single-use plastic bags look easier than an alcoholic falling out of a bed already on the floor.
What took so long?
That was what overjoyed Vice Mayor Meghan Sahli-Wells, only half-seriously, wanted to know after the fairly enthusiastic 5 to 0 vote.
In his first meeting since stepping down as mayor, Councilman Andy Weissman calculated that environmental factions have been trying to push through such a prohibition for four of the five years he has been on the dais.
Among the 16 community members aroused by the subject, four spoke against the ban, mainly on grounds that it would equal dropping a pea into the ocean.
Ms. Sahli-Wells, undoubtedly the No. 1 environmental advocate on the dais, glowed about 2,000 watts’ worth, from the opening populist argument until she made the clinching motion for her colleagues.
Before she was elected to the City Council last year, she recalled “being in the (audience) seats, hoping, hoping hoping this would happen,” Ms. Sahli-Wells said. “There are so many reasons to support the ban. I have seen a lot of scientific evidence for supporting a ban, and I am extremely confident it will pass.”
She cited a bonus motivation for endorsing the prohibition that closely reflects the County ban, affects 72 Culver City businesses, excludes all restaurants and imposes a mandatory minimum customer charge of 10 cents per replacement bag.
Here We Come
“Let’s pass this,” she said, “so we can move on to ban styrofoam.”
Narrowing her eyes, Ms. Sahli-Wells said with an almost-smile, “Watch out, styrofoam. You are next.”
Councilman O’Leary, celebrating the 48th anniversary of his birth, enjoyed one of his trademark stand-up comedian evenings, reeling off a pocket full of zingers.
During the City Council’s warmup exercises, when they acknowledged a state record of seven presentations to worthy community members, one proclaimed May as Historic Preservation Month.
Since the Council just had honored 80-year-old CoCo Rubalcava, a Mexico City native, as Senior of the Year, and had applauded a whole roomful of mature types for accepting a certificate for, no kidding, Older Americans Month, Mr. O’Leary was primed for his take-off line.
In recognition of Historic Preservation Month, “why don’t we just ask the seniors to come back up here” Instant ooohs that resounded in the packed house suggested there was not unanimous agreement.
The moment with Ms. Rubalcava should not pass without replaying her heartfelt observation that “My life is very happy because I can help people.”
Jessel Is Resurrected
Councilman Jim Clarke, who, like Mr. O’Leary, enjoys a close relationship with members of the Senior Center, unfurled his best George Jessel imitation, parrying with the seniors, collectively and individually. Barbara Silverstein, one of the recipients of the Older Americans Month, noted, parenthetically, that the thriving Senior Center boasts of 5,000 members. It is in no danger of running out of ammunition since, she said, 39 percent of Culver City residents are north of 50 years old.
Finally, it was left for Mr. O’Leary to summarize the dominant plastic bag attitude among his centrist colleagues.
Not reluctantly, he conceded that former Chamber of Commerce Chair Goran Eriksson, opposing the p-bag ban well may have struck a bullseye when he gauged that passage only would make a scant 2 percent difference environmentally.
“That may be,” said the birthday boy. “But it is darned frustrating to see plastic bags flying through the air. We only have one earth, one water (since bags are deemed to hopelessly pollute the ocean). I imagine plastic bags were introduced in the 1970s to save trees. This ban may not solve the problem,” he said, driving to the nub of the much bandied-about issue. “But it will create awareness.”
