Senator Cortese & Mayor Mahan Celebrate Passage of Legislation to Address Abandoned Shopping Carts Epidemic

SACRAMENTO – Today, Senator Dave Cortese (D-Silicon Valley) joined San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan in celebrating SB 753 being signed into law - a bill to modernize California’s shopping cart recovery law and give local governments the tools they need to keep communities clean and safe.

SB 753, authored by Senator Cortese and sponsored by the City of San Jose and San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan, eliminates outdated requirements that force cities to impound carts for up to 30 days. Instead, it allows local governments to return carts to retailers and recover actual costs associated with retrieval. SB 753 is currently on the Governor’s desk and is awaiting his signature.

“SB 753 will modernize an outdated state law to give local governments the tools they need to address abandoned shopping carts more efficiently,” said the bill’s author California Senator Cortese. “Abandoned carts are more than just an eyesore: they block sidewalks, pollute creeks, create ADA accessibility issues, and waste taxpayer dollars. This bill is a common-sense solution that benefits communities, businesses, and the environment alike.”

San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan, who sponsored the bill along with the City of San Jose, added:

“Every week, we spend hours pulling shopping carts out of our 140 miles of waterways — clearly, the current system isn’t working. Thanks to Senator Cortese’s leadership and Governor Newsom’s support, cities will have the authority to act swiftly and responsibly. SB 753 cuts through red tape, empowers local governments, and encourages retailers to be part of the solution. It’s a smart, collaborative step toward cleaner neighborhoods and more responsive public services.”

San Jose Councilmember Michael Mulcahy who testified in support of SB 753 in our State Capitol said the following:

“Having testified for this bill in Sacramento, I’m thrilled to see it signed into law. With the Governor’s signature, cities like San José finally have the tools to protect our creeks and rivers, including the Guadalupe River, from abandoned shopping carts. This is a big win for cleaner waterways, stronger partnerships with retailers, and more beautiful, less blighted public spaces.”

Josh Lopez of the South Bay Clean Creeks Coalition highlighted the ecological impact:

“Shopping carts are a common item we remove during our cleanup events in the local waterways. Over the 500 plus cleanups we have done, we average 3 to 4 carts per cleanup event. Over time that adds up to thousands of shopping carts removed from the Guadalupe River and Los Gatos Creek. The past month we have had a series of cleanups focusing on the Guadalupe River from Julian Street to Hedding Street. We estimate that there are at least 100 shopping carts in this stretch of the Guadalupe River with 15 shopping carts concentrated just past the Hedding Street bridge”

Key Provisions of SB 753:

• Allows cities to return carts directly to retailers instead of impounding them, the only option currently allowed under state law.
• Eliminates the 3-day waiting period for cart retrieval that is currently in state law.
• Allows local governments to recover documented costs from retailers.

The bill was also supported by the League of California Cities, California State Association of Counties, California Contract Cities Association, and numerous local governments across the state.