Special business regulations: shopping carts.

Senator Cortese's legislation revises California's shopping cart retrieval regulations, granting local governments new authority to manage abandoned carts and recover associated costs. The measure modifies existing state law governing how cities and counties handle shopping carts found outside retail premises.

Under the proposed changes, local authorities can either return shopping carts directly to retail locations or impound them after providing three days' notice to owners. The bill requires documented proof of notification delivery through mail, phone, or electronic means, with local agencies maintaining these records. When carts obstruct emergency services, immediate removal is permitted with notice provided within 24 hours.

The legislation removes the current $50 cap on fines for retailers who repeatedly fail to retrieve carts, allowing local jurisdictions to set their own penalty amounts. Cities and counties may now recover actual costs incurred for cart retrieval and return services. Impounded carts must be stored at accessible locations open at least six hours daily, and unclaimed carts can be sold or disposed of after 30 days. The measure maintains existing provisions requiring permanently affixed identification signs on carts and preserving cart retrieval contracts predating June 1996.