August 17,2014
Plastic Bag Ban
A California State Assembly committee last week gave the green light to a bill that would ban plastic bags in grocery stores and supermarkets across the state, setting up a floor vote on what would be the country’s first statewide ban on plastic bags. The Assembly’s Appropriations Committee passed SB 270 in an 11-3 vote, clearing the way for a floor vote as early as next week. The bill would ban single-use plastic bags in drugstores and supermarkets starting in July 2015.
Auto Sales Climb
The California new vehicle market continued on its steady upward path in the Second Quarter of 2014 according to the California New Car Dealers Assn. New light vehicle registrations in the state reached 487,300 in 2Q ‘14, up 9 percent versus a year earlier. Last quarter’s gain was the 15th consecutive increase, with the most recent decline occurring in the Third Quarter of 2010.
The dealers expect that new registrations for all of this year will approach 1.83 million units, and improve 6.9 percent from 2013. Another increase is likely in 2015, when the market could eclipse the 1.9 million unit level.
Top Brands
Among the top 15 selling brands, Jeep, Lexus, Subaru, Nissan, and Mazda had the biggest percentage increases in the first half of this year. New registrations for each of the five brands increased by more than 15 percent .
Japanese brand registrations increased 10.2 percent so far this year and market share increased 1.3 points.
Hybrid vehicle market share (excluding plug ins) was 6.2 percent during the first six months of this year, down from 6.8 percent in 2013.
Used vehicle registrations increased 2.4 percent. Three year old or newer vehicles were up 9.7 percent, as supply shortages are easing.
Exports At Port of Long Beach Sees Dip In July / LA Higher
Total cargo container numbers rose 3.7 percent in July at the Port of Long Beach compared to the same month last year, making for the Southern California seaport’s busiest July since 2010.
A total of 583,060 TEUs (twenty-foot equivalent units) were moved through Long Beach in July. Of these, 297,615 TEUs were imports, which rose slightly by 0.9 percent. Exports declined 6.2 percent to 124,126 TEUs. Empty containers escalated 19.5 percent to 161,319 TEUs.
The relatively flat import numbers in July came after a surge in June 2014, when retailers were stocking up for back-to-school shopping. Through the first seven months of 2014, container cargo traffic is up 2.7 percent at the Port of Long Beach, showing the economy is continuing to grow.
Last year, against which 2014 is being compared, was the third-busiest year in port history with a total of 6.73 million TEUs.
At the Port of LA loaded outbound containers were up 3.6% in July while total container traffic was flat. Total traffic year to date is up 7.75%.
Gasoline Prices Keep Falling
California’s average gasoline price is $3.87 today compared to $4.06 a month ago according to Gas Buddy. Oil prices have fallen to $96 a barrel ,down nearly $10 in the past month.Some Tulare County gas stations are selling regular at $3.50 or below. In SLO county Costco is priced at $3.85 per gallon while Nipomo’s Vons station is selling at a bargain $3.65.