Attention California laundromat owners! A new legislation requiring microfiber filtration systems in all washing machines may lead to longer cycle times, higher costs, and reduced availability, impacting both businesses and customers. Act now to voice your concerns and protect the future of laundromats in California.
From the Coin Laundry Association:
- No Technical Solution Available at Commercial Laundry Scale –no such filters nor filtration systems exist for laundromat washers at a scale required for consistent compliance.
- Legislation Ought to Exempt Commercial Washers
- Customer Property in Garments would Disable Filters – items commonly found in commercial washer drain valves would immediately disable any microfiber filter.
- Extended Agitation Would Cause Garments to Shed Additional Microfibers – Commercial washers are equipped with sensors that monitor the effectiveness of the drain function – if water is draining slowly, the wash drum will continue to rotate for as long as 40 minutes waiting for the wastewater to drain.
- Per Washer Filtration Would Consume More Water & Energy and Generate More Waste – A per-washer filtration system would result in massively more waste and water/energy consumption.
- Per Washer Filtration Would Cause Mechanical Failures
- Per Washer Filtration Would Add Significantly to Cost – These costs would be passed along as a burden to the lowest income families
Call, leave a voicemail, AND send your Senator an e-mail! Make your voice heard.
| Member | District | Cities | District Phone # | |
| Senator Benjamin Allen, Chair | SD 24 | Agoura Hills, Beverly Hills, Calabasas, El Segundo, Hermosa Beach, Hidden Hills, Lomita, Malibu, Manhattan Beach, Palos Verdes Estates, Rancho Palos Verdes, Redondo Beach, Rolling Hills, Rolling Hills Estates, Santa Monica, Torrance, West Hollywood, Westlake Village, and southern portions of Gardena. | (310) 318-6994 | senator.allen@senate.ca.gov |
| Senator Brian Dahle, Vice Chair | SD 01 | Alturas, Anderson, Biggs, Chico, Colfax, Colusa, Corning, Dorris, Dunsmuir, Etna, Fort Jones, Grass Valley, Gridley, Live Oak, Loyalton, Marysville, Montague, Mount Shasta, Nevada City, Orland, Oroville, Portola, Red Bluff, Redding, Shasta Lake, Susanville, Tehama, Tulelake, Weed, Wheatland, Williams, | Bieber office: (530) 294-5000,
Gold River: (916) 464-4201,
Redding: (530) 224-7001 |
senator.dahle@senate.ca.gov |
| Senator Lena Gonzalez | SD 33 | Avalon, Bell, Bell Gardens, Commerce, Cudahy, Huntington Park, Lakewood, Long Beach, Lynwood, Maywood, Paramount, Signal Hill, and South Gate. | Huntington Park: (323) 277-4560,
Long Beach: (562) 256-7921 |
senator.gonzalez@senate.ca.gov |
| Senator Melissa Hurtado | SD 16 | Arvin, Avenal, Corcoran, Delano, Dinuba, Farmersville, Hanford, Kingsburg, Lemoore, Lindsay, McFarland, Porterville, Wasco, and Woodlake, and portions of the Cities of Bakersfield, Shafter, Tulare, and Visalia. | Bakersfield: (661) 395-2620,
Hanford: (559) 585-7161,
Tulare: (559) 685-1202 |
senator.hurtado@senate.ca.gov |
| Senator Caroline Menjivar | SD 20 | Burbank, San Fernando, and a portion of the City of Los Angeles. | (818) 901-5588 | senator.menjivar@senate.ca.gov |
| Senator Janet Nguyen | SD 36 | Artesia, Cerritos, Cypress, Dana Point, Fountain Valley, Hawaiian Gardens, Huntington Beach, Laguna Beach, La Palma, Los Alamitos, Newport Beach, San Clemente, Seal Beach, Stanton, and Westminster, and portions of the Cities of Buena Park and Garden Grove. | (714) 374-4000 | senator.nguyen@senate.ca.gov |
| Senator Nancy Skinner | SD 07 | Alameda, Albany, Berkeley, El Cerrito, Emeryville, Hercules, Oakland, Piedmont, Pinole, Richmond, and San Pablo. | (510) 286-1333 | senator.skinner@senate.ca.gov |
| Assemblymember Tina McKinnor | AD 61 | Inglewood, Lawndale, Hawthorne, and portions of the Cities of Gardena and Los Angeles. | (310) 412-6400 | assemblymember.mckinnor@assembly.ca.gov |
[TRANSCRIPT]
00:00 If you’re a California laundromat owner, you need to watch this video because there’s some legislation that’s going to affect your laundromat in a big, big way. California is set to pass legislation that will require every single washing machine to have its own microfiber filtration system. This law is primarily designed for residential washing machines, but it will also affect every single commercial washing machine.
Commercial washing machines are designed to drain about 50 gallons of water in just about 12 seconds. Now, good luck draining that fast when you have a filter that’s designed to stop microfibers. Water is not going to drain very quickly at all, and when your water doesn’t drain quickly, your washing machine is going to think there’s something wrong. So, not only does that mean longer cycle times, but the big problem is you’re going to need special washing machines designed just for California.
00:53 Now, what does that mean? It’s already very difficult to get washing machines; there’s a supply shortage, and some washing machines have over a one-year wait. It’s going to be tough for new laundromats to open, and existing laundromats are going to have a tough time getting replacement parts or new machines. That means more broken washing machines for customers, and prices are going to go up.
I mean, if you were a manufacturer of washing machines and you know you could sell them faster than you could even make them, why would you bother making special washing machines just for California? The only reason why you would ever sell a special machine made just for California is if you charge a bunch of money just for that washing machine. So, number one, there’s going to be fewer washing machines available, and two, they’re going to cost a lot, lot more. And guess who’s going to pay for it? The customer, because the laundromat is going to raise their prices, which means the most vulnerable people in our society are going to be winding up paying the lion’s share of this tax.
01:49 This legislation, AB 1628, is a tax on the poor, and it’s going to make life as a laundry owner very difficult. So, you need to call your legislator and let them know this legislation is not compatible with laundromats, and many people depend upon laundromats for basic needs. In the comments section of this video is a link that will provide you with the contact information of your representative and who you should contact and what to tell them. Please make this call. You don’t want to be the person who, after this passes, says, “Oh, I wish I made the call” to have a clear conscience. You need to make this call and have everybody in your family, friends, and network make that call too. There’s power in numbers.
