Nanny State Madness: California‘s Proposed ’Fitted Sheet’ Law

[CG6468]

Nanny State Madness: California‘s Proposed ’Fitted Sheet’ Law

Posted on August 15, 2011 at 8:48am by Mike Opelka Mike Opelka

When California’s elected officials come back from their month-long recess they face a mountain of proposed legislation (almost 900 bills are lined up and waiting), including a new law (SB432) that would require hotels to eliminate flat sheets. Not having fitted sheets on hotel beds would now be a crime in California. This is not a joke. . .

California, the state trying to deal with a massive $26 BILLION dollar debt, is considering a law that some hospitality industry experts claim would add an estimated $15 to $30 million dollars in costs to an already hurting hotel industry. The low-end estimate of fifteen million is the projected cost to purchase new fitted sheets for the 550,000 hotel beds in the state. Of course the hospitality industry is claiming that these added costs will hurt their business and put jobs at risk.

The fitted-sheet bill is the brainchild of State Senator Kevin De Leon (a Democrat from Los Angeles), whose mother suffered back pains while working as a hotel maid. Kevin has been quoted as saying this was “an issue close to my heart.” It is also a bill that has the support of Big Labor. Sen. De Leon’s bill passed through the State Senate in June, but not before some spirited debate, including a statement from one of the two dissenters, State Senator Sam Blakeslee;

“We are now going to make it a crime in California not to use a fitted sheet? Really?”

If the law passes, who will be assigned to enforce it? Will California be the first state in the union to have “Mattress Police” checking for fitted sheets? Is this really a good use of law enforcement manpower?

Insanity rules.

More from the land of fruits and nuts

[DumbAss Tanker]

If the law passes, who will be assigned to enforce it?

That's a no-brainer.  It's California and the unions back it.  The workers will rat out the employer, and phone the State OSHA.

[thundley4]

Lord knows that the workers may get carpal tunnel from putting those hospital corners on the beds with flat sheets.

[Bodadh]

Oh what the F***? Do any of these clowns have nothing better to do but dream up halfwit laws?


Ok, how about this. Since it would cost the owners more money but make things easier on the "workers" how about the Union break off a chunck of their dues to cover the start up for switching over to fitted sheets? That sounds fair, right?

[rich_t]

I HATE putting on fitted sheets.

Hospital corners are easier by far IMO.

[Erasmus]

I HATE putting on fitted sheets.

Hospital corners are easier by far IMO.

I don't mind putting them on, I hate trying to fold them out of the dryer.

Why the law, though?  It's not like liberals wash their bedding.  Must be something else behind this.

[Eupher]

I don't mind putting them on, I hate trying to fold them out of the dryer.

Yup. PITA.

[cmypay]

How is this going to prevent back problems for the workers? I still end up picking up the edge of the bed to put the fitted sheet on...maybe I'm doing it wrong

[rich_t]

I don't mind putting them on, I hate trying to fold them out of the dryer.

Why the law, though?  It's not like liberals wash their bedding.  Must be something else behind this.

Hell, I just wad then up as neatly as I can and shove them into the linen closest.

[Eupher]

Hell, I just wad then up as neatly as I can and shove them into the linen closest.

Frickin' heathen. 

[Karin]

The trick is to fold it the best you can, without making a career out of it, and then make sure the topmost layer is smooth.  Fools everybody.  It fooled my Martha Stewart fussbudget sister. 

[Erasmus]

The trick is to fold it the best you can, without making a career out of it, and then make sure the topmost layer is smooth.  Fools everybody.  It fooled my Martha Stewart fussbudget sister. 

My mother tried to teach me four or five times growing up, but it never took.  She does some weird oragami thing where all the corners fit into one another and it looks like it just came out of the package.  Beats the heck out of me.

[NHSparky]

I got a better idea--send all these fat lazy ****s to boot camp.  I guarantee they'll know how to do hospital corners then.

[Ptarmigan]

And California's economy and budget is tanking.