California fighting "the evils of unfitted sheets"

[❤ mollymouser ❤]

www.calwatchdog.com/2011/08/02/kevin-de-leon-fights-evil-unfitted-sheets/

Type of article: political commentary

Article headline: NEW: Kevin De Leon Fights Evil Unfitted Sheets!

Commentary

AUGUST 2, 2011

By STEVEN GREENHUT

The Legislative Goofball of The Session Award goes to Sen. Kevin De Leon, D-Los Angeles, for his Senate Bill 432 that mandates that hotels use fitted sheets rather than unfitted sheets on mattresses. Other legislators have promoted more damaging and far-reaching bills, but De Leon’s ban on unfitted sheets and mandates for long-handled bathroom tools sets the record for utter silliness in a legislative body that already struggles to be taken seriously.

Here is the bill language: This bill would require the standards board to adopt a standard relating to housekeeping in transient lodging establishments requiring the use of fitted sheets on beds and the use of long-handled tools for cleaning bathrooms. The bill would require the division to enforce the standard in the ordinary course of its duties pursuant to existing authority. Because this bill would require the standards board to adopt a new standard, the serious violation of which would, when effective, create a new crime, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program.”

A new industry Web site, www.NOsb432.com, posts this right-on explanation on its fact sheet: “Our economy is struggling. Our budget is perpetually out of balance. Schools, roads, health care and public safety suffer. And the Legislature is focused on… FITTED SHEETS?? That’s right. SB 432 (de León), would mandate that hotels use fitted sheets, not flat sheets, on all of their mattresses. Why? Good question. Studies show no safety benefits for hotel employees from using fitted vs. flat sheets. So what’s the deal? Perhaps it’s because the bill’s sponsors, the California Applicants’ Attorneys Association, want a new cause of action to sue.”

This tells you everything you need to know about Sacramento and the nuttiness in the state Capitol.

1. The state is facing serious budgetary and infrastructure problems, and yet legislators think this legislation is worthy of consideration (it passed out of committee before recess).

2. The state recognizes no limits on its power. If it can regulate the type of sheets a business puts on its beds, then what limits are left?

3. The state doesn’t mind creating new classes of criminals. The official language explains that the bill would “create a new crime.” This reminds me of the late writer Sam Francis, who coined the term “anarcho-tyranny.” The state continually creates new laws and regulations and crimes that affect law-abiding citizens, even as it fails to rein in the growing lawlessness around us. Note that police agencies in these tough budget times have been listing the many serious crimes that they will no longer pursue.

4. Laws are promoted in order to help some supposedly helpless group of people, in this case housekeepers. That is paternalistic, but it also is dishonest. The real driving force are the trial lawyers, who advocate for this law and stand to gain financially from it. This is cynical.

5. Democratic leaders have no concern for the impact of their new regulations on businesses and assume that they businesses want to hurt their workers. Legislators believe that they know more about any particular industry than the people involved in that industry. They assume business owners are evil profiteers who will willingly harm their workers to extract a few more cents out of them. They assume the regulators who enforce the laws (and receive high salaries, great pensions and many benefits unavailable to others) are selfless defenders of the public good.

This legislation is utter foolishness. This is from De Leon’s statement:

“The California State Assembly Labor and Employment Committee … advanced Senate Bill 432 (De Leόn), a bill seeking to outlaw unsafe housekeeping practices that result in housekeepers cleaning bathroom floors on their knees for lack of mops and lifting heavy mattresses for lack of fitted sheets.

“’The hotels change their sheet inventory frequently. There will be no added expense,’ said the bill’s author Senator Kevin de Leόn (D-22). “All we ask is that when the hotels make their next purchase, half of the sheets be fitted. It is a minor action for them but a major benefit to employee health, safety, happiness and productivity.’”

De Leon is abusing poor people to advance his political career. He is harming the very businesses that hire the people he claims to help. He is undermining individual choices and freedom. He is wasting the Legislature’s time. Mostly, though, he is making a fool out of himself and a mockery of the Senate and the state.

[chiver78]

wow. I hope your fellow Californians vote this guy out at the earliest opportunity.

[Deleted]

“The California State Assembly Labor and Employment Committee … advanced Senate Bill 432 (De Leόn), a bill seeking to outlaw unsafe housekeeping practices that result in housekeepers cleaning bathroom floors on their knees for lack of mops and lifting heavy mattresses for lack of fitted sheets.

I must be doing it wrong. I still have to lift the corners of my very heavy mattress even with fitted sheets.

[mmhmm]

*sigh* I can see the guys point, but I don't really think there needs to be a law written to correct these problems. Some folks just get carried away.

[❤ mollymouser ❤]

Personally, I hate the frustration that comes from even trying to FOLD fitted sheets!

But I will sleep easier knowing that are legislature (having solved all of California's other problems) are working tirelessly on this problem, happily in bed with plaintiffs' attorneys.

;D

[Wisconsin Beth]

Aug 3, 2011 9:25:51 GMT -5 @anne81 said:

“The California State Assembly Labor and Employment Committee … advanced Senate Bill 432 (De Leόn), a bill seeking to outlaw unsafe housekeeping practices that result in housekeepers cleaning bathroom floors on their knees for lack of mops and lifting heavy mattresses for lack of fitted sheets.

I must be doing it wrong. I still have to lift the corners of my very heavy mattress even with fitted sheets.

Me too.

And I fail to see how using long handled tools to clean the bathrooms is going to help either. I know the OP specifically mentioned cleaning floors but have this guy ever cleaned a shower stall in his life anyway?

[Savoir Faire-Demogague in NJ]

I actually can see hotels/motels changing to fitted sheets. They are easier to put on a mattress vs a flat sheet.
Chamber maids can make beds much faster with a fitted sheet, and the industry could actually reduce staff.
I like it. Thinking outside the box.

[floridayankee]

Aug 3, 2011 10:15:41 GMT -5 Savoir Faire-Demogague in NJ said:

I actually can see hotels/motels changing to fitted sheets. They are easier to put on a mattress vs a flat sheet.
Chamber maids can make beds much faster with a fitted sheet, and the industry could actually reduce staff.
I like it. Thinking outside the box.

Perhaps, but have you looked at the "removal" side of the picture? Have you ever washed, dried and folded fitted sheets? In the dryer, everything balls up inside the fitted sheet and either needs constant stopping/separating or longer dry time. Folding...forget it. It's easier to leave the damned thing balled up.

I imagine if there was no cost savings, the hotel/motel industry wouldn't be using flat sheets over fitted.

[Deleted]

Just think about the cost to hotels & motels to change this over. This is EXACTLY why we do NOT need the government in business. Every new regulation that the government comes up with either cost's our businesses money outright or makes the cost of running a business go up.

The problem usually is one new law like this because the cost's here won't (or shouldn't) put someone out of business. The problem is that they keep approving more & more of these & 10 or 20 new stupid items like this can kill a business either through money required or just plain frustration of the owners (as in: screw it, they keep making it harder to do business so I'll close & do something else).

Next thing you know they will be regulating gold fish or circumcisions.......oh wait..

[Bluerobin]

And people wonder why some of us want to give California back to Mexico!

[thyme4change]

I hope your fellow Californians vote this guy out at the earliest opportunity.

He is probably representing the people that voted him in quite well. Not that I think this is a good law, but I suspect the people in his district believe that he is a good guy who is going to the mat to protect their well being, and will vote for him again, so he can continue to fight for them. And, when hotels say "F-it" and close up shop rather than adhere to the new rules - well then, big bad business has failed them again. And they will blame business owners for being greedy.

[thyme4change]

And, hotel rooms will get even MORE expensive in California.

[ed1066]

The sad thing is that the idiots who do this sort of thing truly believe they are doing important work. Never mind the fact that this state is broke, overrun with illegal aliens, the schoolchildren can hardly read and write (but they can tell you who is gay and who isn't), crime and poverty are rampant, and the large cities resemble third world hellholes, the important thing is that hotels will have fitted sheets on the beds...sad.

[handyman2]

Anybody see a union hand in the shadows on this one? Think about it.

[floridayankee]

Aug 3, 2011 10:49:17 GMT -5 @oldtex said:

Just think about the cost to hotels & motels to change this over.

The OP article mentions that hotel bed linens are replaced "frequently" so my question would be how often is frequently? It wasn't easy to find an article that gave a definite answer on life expectancy, but the linked PDF article (below) lists the average LE of hotel sheets at 52 washes. In a busy hotel, sheets could be replaced in a matter of months. Of course, there are lots of variables, but considering this, it's not to difficult to imagine that most hotels likely replace bed linens at least yearly. Assuming that the fitted and flat sheets cost the same, if the law didn't state an immediate compliance date, I'd imagine there would be no additional costs for most hotels/motels to replace their flat sheets with fitted.

dev9.cantongroup.net/pdf/SLP/SLP51.PDF

[❤ mollymouser ❤]

Aug 3, 2011 10:49:17 GMT -5 @oldtex said:

Just think about the cost to hotels & motels to change this over. This is EXACTLY why we do NOT need the government in business. Every new regulation that the government comes up with either cost's our businesses money outright or makes the cost of running a business go up.

The problem usually is one new law like this because the cost's here won't (or shouldn't) put someone out of business. The problem is that they keep approving more & more of these & 10 or 20 new stupid items like this can kill a business either through money required or just plain frustration of the owners (as in: screw it, they keep making it harder to do business so I'll close & do something else).

Next thing you know they will be regulating gold fish or circumcisions.......oh wait..

[❤ mollymouser ❤]

More laws isn't the answer to California's problems.
More rules and regulations for California businesses to follow, or get sued over.
Because, let's face it, some state bureaucracy will be in charge of this, and monitoring this.....

[floridayankee]

Aug 3, 2011 12:37:46 GMT -5 ❤ mollymouser ❤ said:

More laws isn't the answer to California's problems.
More rules and regulations for California businesses to follow, or get sued over.
Because, let's face it, some state bureaucracy will be in charge of this, and monitoring this.....

I agree, especially considering today's economic situation. I was just saying the initial cost to these business to replace sheets that they would be replacing anyway would likely be negligible.

[ed1066]

The reason hotels use flat sheets on beds is so they do not have to separate flat and fitted sheets and make balancing distributions for the housekeeping staff (i.e. give them an equal number of flat and fitted sheets so they have one of each for each bed). By using only flat sheets, there is no time and effort required to buy, store, launder and load two different items equally. If this goes into effect, it will increase the workload on hotel purchasing and inventory managers, housekeeping staff and laundry facilities. Also, fitted sheets cannot go through the same commercial washing and automated pressing and folding process as flat sheets. The elastic cannot take the bleach and the fitted sheets don't fit in the presses and folders. Of course, the morons in charge in California can't be expected to actually know this or take the time to find any of this out, they just need to plow ahead with acting like idiots...

[txbo]

Aug 3, 2011 11:50:20 GMT -5 handyman2 said:

Anybody see a union hand in the shadows on this one? Think about it.

Ha, I think more in line with the sheet industry.

[BeenThere...DoneThat...]

[❤ mollymouser ❤]

I was also thinking that some hotels have kings, queen and double beds ... and they can use the larger flat sheets, if necessary, on the bottom of all three sides of the beds, just by tucking in. That really won't work as well for fitted sheets. It's also notoriously hard to "eyeball" a fitted sheet and see what size it is (king v. queen, or queen v. full.)

Frankly, if our state legislators have free time on their hands, maybe they could start working now on next year's budget?

[verrip1]

De Leon is proving that the State legislators have no focus on what the state needs. Imagine, wasting the Legislature's time on crap like this. Finding ways to penalize business over trivia. This guy clearly had no perception of what real problems there are in California by devoting even 10 seconds of his time to bullshit like this.

It doesn't matter a bit whether it's more efficient, costly, comfortable to some, etc. It's just another example of one of the hundreds of thousands of bits of minutiae that government at every level institutes on a routine basis.

De Leon obviously has too much staff available to him. One way to get rid of stupidity such as this is to drastically reduce legislative staffs. If De Leon thinks that stuff like this should be put in place, let him personally research where in the CAC it should go, and draft the bill himself. Think that would happen? Me neither.

[thyme4change]

Today at 10:50am, handyman2 wrote:

Anybody see a union hand in the shadows on this one? Think about it.

Probably. Good call.

[Mad Dawg Wiccan]

Anybody see a union hand in the shadows on this one? Think about it.

I doubt it, most motels/hotels here are non-union.