MOORPARK : Proposed Shopping Cart Law Dropped

Fearing that it could be overregulating a problem against the wishes of local merchants, the Moorpark City Council has backed away from a proposed ordinance that would have made it a crime to remove metal carts from shopping centers.

Councilman Scott Montgomery had drafted the proposed ordinance in response to complaints from downtown residents, who said carts were being taken from store parking lots and cluttering their neighborhood.

The proposed law would have forced merchants to label their carts and pay the city a retrieval fee for any carts taken into residential areas.

But, partly in response to merchant concerns that the law was too restrictive, the council last week agreed to work with retailers to address the problem rather than attempt to legislate a solution.