{"id":2631212,"date":"2026-07-17T14:31:01","date_gmt":"2026-07-17T18:31:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/california-is-much-crazier-than-you-thought\/"},"modified":"2026-07-17T14:43:35","modified_gmt":"2026-07-17T18:43:35","slug":"california-is-much-crazier-than-you-thought","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/california-is-much-crazier-than-you-thought\/","title":{"rendered":"California Is Much Crazier Than You Thought"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">14<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fcalifornia-is-much-crazier-than-you-thought%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2631212&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>The article discusses California&#8217;s new textile recycling law, SB 707, known as the Responsible Textile Recovery Act of 2024. This law requires major textile manufacturers and sellers operating in California to join a producer obligation institution (PRO), specifically Landbell USA, wich manages textile recycling plans. Non-compliance carries hefty fines, and the law aims to reduce environmental and social impacts of textile waste.The law applies broadly, involving importers, wholesalers, and retailers, with exemptions for small producers. implementation costs are still uncertain,with fees initially set at $1,000 annually and planned to shift to an eco-modulated fee system by 2030.<\/p>\n<p>The law is overseen by the California Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery, which is developing regulations and will hold workshops to gather feedback. The law&#8217;s practical effects are already <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/6-governors-stripped-of-power-because-of-overreach-during-the-covid-19-pandemic\/\" title=\"6 Governors Stripped Of Power Because Of Overreach During The COVID-19 Pandemic\">affecting businesses<\/a> such as Buffalo Wool Company in Texas, which has halted California shipments due to the compliance burden and costs. Business leaders express concern over the complexity and expense of adhering to the law, which may hinder domestic textile manufacturing. the legislation reflects California&#8217;s push towards environmental responsibility but also raises questions about its economic impact on small and <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >medium-sized textile businesses<\/a>.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<div>\n<p>Throwing away an old pair of socks is a matter of the greatest imaginable complexity. It requires an extensive state plan, supervised by a nongovernmental organization that imposes mandatory payment obligations on the company that made the socks. The socks have to be <em>safely<\/em> discarded, and that requires extensive planning by a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/what-i-learned-at-the-aspen-ideas-reet-festival-sponsored-by-mastercard-paypal-and-prudential-in-partnership-with-bloomberg\/\" title=\"What I Learned at the Aspen Ideas RE$ET Festival Sponsored by Mastercard, PayPal, and Prudential in Partnership with Bloomberg\">public-private partnership<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Following the passage of <a href=\"https:\/\/leginfo.legislature.ca.gov\/faces\/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=202320240SB707\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">SB 707, the Responsible Textile Recovery Act of 2024<\/a>, every significant manufacturer of textile products that sells its products in California (even if the manufacturer doesn\u2019t make anything there) has in theory been forced to join a \u201cproducer responsibility organization\u201d (PRO) that will develop a textile recycling plan. Penalties for intentional noncompliance will run $50,000 per day \u201cif the violation is intentional or knowing,\u201d and a misstatement to state regulators regarding textile recycling will be regarded as perjury, a felony. Read the bill: Its intent is to minimize the \u201cenvironmental justice impacts\u201d of your discarded socks.<\/p>\n<p>The Responsible Textile Recovery Act of 2024 was authored by former state Sen. Josh Newman, who now teaches as an <a href=\"https:\/\/socialecology.uci.edu\/news\/josh-newman-appointed-senior-fellow\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">unpaid senior fellow<\/a> in the School of Social Ecology at UC Irvine.<\/p>\n<p>A whole <a href=\"https:\/\/www.anthesisgroup.com\/insights\/sb-707-californias-textile-epr-law-explained\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">compliance industry<\/a> is springing up around the new law, starting with the requirement that every company that sells textiles in California join the PRO by July 1 of this year. Producers with \u201caggregate global turnover\u201d of less than $1 million are exempt from compliance. In a complex chain of legal compliance, participation in the PRO <a href=\"https:\/\/katten.com\/california-responsible-textile-recovery-act\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">may also fall upon<\/a> wholesalers, retailers, distributors, and importers.<\/p>\n<p>If you pay attention to California politics, you already knew that an NGO was going to be involved. The state has chosen a single NGO, Landbell USA, to be the designated statewide PRO. Landbell USA <a href=\"https:\/\/projects.propublica.org\/nonprofits\/organizations\/413976359\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">became a nonprofit<\/a> in February of this year, but is part of an <a href=\"https:\/\/landbellusa.com\/about\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">international organization<\/a> that already serves as a PRO in other countries: Landbell Canada, Landbell Deutschland, and so on.<\/p>\n<p>The final cost of compliance is still up in the air, but you can read the compliance \u201croadmap\u201d at the <a href=\"https:\/\/landbellusa.com\/sb-707-california-producer-registration\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Landbell website<\/a>: \u201cFor the 2026\u20132027 cycle, registration requires a flat annual fee of $1,000. These funds support the development of the producer portal and the Statewide Needs Assessment. In the future (targeted for 2030), fees will shift to an eco-modulated model, where products designed for durability and recycling will receive reduced rates.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>So if you make or sell any kind of textile product in California, this is what you face today: Your as-yet-undetermined future costs will \u201cshift to an eco-modulated model,\u201d actual numbers not yet known. <\/p>\n<p>The state\u2019s textile recovery program is being administered by the $2 billion-a-year <a href=\"https:\/\/ebudget.ca.gov\/2025-26\/pdf\/GovernorsBudget\/3890\/3970.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery<\/a>, which is still writing regulations to implement the law. You can read their textiles page <a href=\"https:\/\/calrecycle.ca.gov\/epr\/textiles\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">here<\/a>. The agency will be holding a \u201cTextile Stewardship Informal Regulatory Concepts Workshop\u201d next month to \u201csolicit feedback on regulation concepts related to the requirements outlined in the Responsible Textile Recovery Act.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Law firms with textile clients are posting compliance schedules, so you can see the timeline for implementation <a href=\"https:\/\/www.klgates.com\/Californias-Landmark-Textile-Recycling-Law-With-Looming-1-July-2026-Deadline-6-26-2026\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">here<\/a>. Final implementation of a statewide stewardship plan is expected by July 1, 2030. It takes time to figure out how to discard a sock.<\/p>\n<p>Here\u2019s what the new law is turning out to mean in practice: In Texas, the unusually awesome <a href=\"https:\/\/thebuffalowoolco.com\/pages\/about\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Buffalo Wool Company<\/a>, which makes textile products sourced from American plains bison, has turned off its California shipping options. Ron Miskin, who runs the family-owned business, told The Federalist that he has no objection to textile recycling, and he sees the point of trying to keep a flood of cheap synthetic material out of the waste stream. But he\u2019s also trying to make sustainable products that don\u2019t get used up and thrown out, and the costs and complexity of compliance with California\u2019s new textile law are a bridge too far.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOur stuff doesn\u2019t end up in landfills,\u201d he told The Federalist.\u00a0\u201cWe\u2019re not high volume. Our stuff is stupidly expensive, but it works. It lasts.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>With no staff in California, Buffalo Wool Company already owes payroll tax in the state, and is drowning in California taxes. Now comes a new <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/california-democrats-float-400-checks-to-taxpayers-after-hiking-gas-taxes\/\" title=\"... Democrats Float 0 Checks to Taxpayers After Hiking Gas Taxes\">regulatory program<\/a> with compliance costs that are still undetermined. The Federalist asked Miskin what it was going to cost him to comply with SB 707. His answer: \u201cI don\u2019t have a flippin\u2019 clue.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMy number one concern is making sure that we keep making textiles in the US,\u201d Miskin said. California is making that goal as hard as possible.<\/p>\n<p>The Federalist has asked the California Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery for an estimate of the cost and staffing required to enforce SB 707, but we haven\u2019t yet received a response.<\/p>\n<hr>\n<p>      Chris Bray is a senior correspondent at The Federalist and a former infantry sergeant in the U.S. Army. He has a history PhD from the University of California Los Angeles, not that it did him any good. He also posts on Substack, at &#8220;Tell Me How This Ends,&#8221; <a href=\"https:\/\/chrisbray.substack.com\/\">here<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Disposing of socks now involves complex, costly regulations<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2086,"featured_media":2631213,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/textile-gas-scaled.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[4045,51415,3772,13010,14541],"class_list":["post-2631212","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-california","tag-crazy-2","tag-state","tag-surprising","tag-usa"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/textile-gas-scaled.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2631212","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2086"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2631212"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2631212\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2631228,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2631212\/revisions\/2631228"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2631213"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2631212"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2631212"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2631212"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}