Too often, owners of electronics and independent repair shops don’t have access to the parts, tools, and repair guides that are essential to extending the life of consumer electronics and appliances. When only the manufacturer or their “authorized technician” can fix something, they can charge whatever they want or claim that it can’t be fixed to push consumers into buying new devices, leading to more waste.

Senate Bill 244 (Eggman) will slow the creation of electronic waste in California by providing independent repair shops and consumers with the repair materials they need to keep their stuff in use and out of the trash. This important legislation was approved by the State Legislature in September, and now we need Governor Newsom to sign it.

Help us spread the word about this important legislation for the Right to Repair by writing a letter to get published in your local newspaper.

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Step 2 - Write your message





Click on a point to add it to the letter.
  • Right to Repair will save families big. Research from CALPIRG finds that repairing instead of replacing electronics and appliances can save California households about $5 billion per year.

  • Right to Repair will provide greater availability of affordable used devices. Many people can’t afford the latest gadgets. Extending the life of tablets, laptops and other electronics helps bridge the digital divide by strengthening the secondhand market.

  • Right to Repair provides more choices for consumers. Many people don’t live close to manufacturers’ authorized repair providers, which tend to be located in metro centers. Even those who do are often subject to long wait times and repair delays. Consumers should have more repair choices, which are currently stifled by big corporate manufacturers.

  • Right to Repair will reduce electronic waste. It is estimated that Californians throw away 46,900 cell phones every day and discard 772,000 tons of toxic electronic waste each year, which adds toxic heavy metals like lead, mercury, and cadmium into our landfills. Many of these discarded devices could be used again, but simple repairs can become impossible without the proper tools and information.

  • Right to repair will make electronic recycling safer. When electronics and appliances do reach the waste stream, recyclers need to have the tools and information to get them apart safely. 40% of fires in waste management facilities in California are caused by lithium-ion batteries, which manufacturers increasingly make difficult (and dangerous) to access with proprietary screws and industrial glues. Manufacturers should provide disassembly tools for repair and recycling.

  • Repair teaches people about technology and inspires and empowers a new generation of entrepreneurs and inventors. How can we train the next generation of engineers if we block people from having basic information about how the technology in our lives works?

  • Right to Repair is good for small businesses. Last year CALPIRG and iFixit surveyed 63 California-based independent repair shops. 67% indicated that they had to turn away potential customers because of restricted access to repair parts, materials, software or information. Moreover, 59% of the shops surveyed indicated that they might have to close their doors if Right to Repair does not become law and manufacturers continue to restrict access to repair materials. More access to repair parts, tools and information means more opportunities for local small businesses to grow or new businesses to start.

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