Paint Companies Bring Out Big Guns To Avoid Potentially Hundreds Of Millions In Fines Over Lead In Products
The companies, which might be on the hook up for the cost of cleaning up the lead paint, are dumping their resources into a fight to get taxpayers to pick up the bill instead.
Los Angeles Times:
Major Paint Companies Lobby California Lawmakers To Overturn A Court Ruling Forcing Them To Clean Up Lead In Homes
With a key deadline a month away, two national paint companies are turning up the pressure on California lawmakers to absolve them of potentially hundreds of millions of dollars in legal penalties from lead paint hazards. The companies, Sherwin-Williams and ConAgra, have hired five lobbying firms, sponsored a website, purchased advertisements and spent at least $2.8 million on a political campaign. (Dillon, 5/29)
Elsewhere in Sacramento —
Orange County Register:
Activists Spar Over Bill That Would Outlaw Sale Of Sexual Orientation Conversion Therapies
Supporters and opponents of Assembly Bill 2943, which makes the sale of so-called sexual orientation conversion therapies a violation of the state’s consumer protection laws, held dueling rallies in the city Tuesday morning, each side telling its members’ stories and highlighting its beliefs and ideologies. The bill, which passed the State Assembly last month and is headed to the State Senate, will include “sexual orientation change efforts” in the state’s definition of deceptive business practices. (Bharath, 5/29)