Editor's Note: The statewide ban on single-use plastic bags has been upheld. See the story here.
The future of plastic grocery bags in California will be in the hands of voters Tuesday, when they weigh in on a referendum challenging a statewide ban on the bags and on a separate initiative redirecting money collected by stores from the sale of carry-out bags to a fund supporting environmental projects.
Proposition 67 will allow voters to decide if grocery stores and other selected retail outlets should be banned from handing out single-use plastic bags, but permitted to sell recycled paper bags and reusable bags for a minimum of 10 cents. The state Legislature approved the ban and the governor signed it into law in 2014, but a referendum forced the issue onto the ballot.
A yes vote will uphold the ban, while a no vote will reject it. Opponents of the ban say it amounts to a tax increase by charging shoppers 10 cents for a bag, amounting to about $300 million a year that goes back into the pockets of grocers. Proponents, however, say the referendum was mounted by out-of-state plastic-bag manufacturers looking to protect their profits.
Many California cities and counties, including Los Angeles, have adopted plastic bag bans that are already being enforced. Meanwhile, voters will also decide on Proposition 65, which would legislate the use of money raised by the statewide ban.
Passage of the initiative would potentially result in the several tens of millions of dollars annually being transferred to a special fund administered by the Wildlife Conservation Board for certain environmental and natural resources purposes, according to an analysis conducted by the Legislative Analyst's Office and Department of Finance.
