Assembly passes bill banning plastic bags
E.J. Schultz
Fresno Bee
06/02/2010
SACRAMENTO -- Paper or plastic?
Plastic would no longer be an option under a bill the Assembly passed Wednesday that would ban "single-use" grocery bags in favor of bags that can be used more than once or paper bags made of recycled materials.
The ban would begin Jan. 1, 2012, for grocery stores and July 1, 2013, for convenience stores. Bill supporters, including environmental groups, say that plastic bags blow into oceans and other waterways, creating health problems for marine life and harming the fishing industry.
Assembly Bill 1998 by Assembly Member Julia Brownley, D-Santa Monica, passed on a 41-27 vote with Republicans opposed. It still requires Senate approval. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger issued a statement Wednesday praising the bill's passage, noting it would make California the first state to ban plastic bags. "This bill will be a great victory for our environment."
The California Grocer's Association is backing the bill because it gives retailers a statewide standard to follow. Some cities have begun approving their own bans. The bill "provides the most environmental gain with the least competitive disruption for retailers," Ronald Fong, the association's president, said in a statement.
Republicans said the measure wasn't needed.
"We continue to go down the road of making more and more intrusive laws proscribing and dictating to the people of the state of California precisely how they are to live their lives," said Assembly Member Chuck DeVore, R-Irvine.
Stores, which now typically charge for reusable bags, could make them available for free but would still be allowed to charge for them under the bill. The other option for shoppers would be paper bags made from at least 40% recycled content, although stores would be required to charge "not less than five cents" per bag. Some low-income residents might qualify to get the bags for free.
But that provision was not enough for Assembly Member Danny Gilmore, R-Hanford, who voted no. In the Central Valley, "where people are just struggling just to put food on the table, they don't need to be thinking about" spending money on bags, he said.
Water bill falls short
In other action Wednesday, Assembly Member Juan Arambula, I-Fresno, suffered a setback in his drive to limit long-term farm-to-city water transfers. He fell three votes short on a bill that would prohibit the transfers unless a study is done on potential economic, social and environmental fallout.
Arambula, who can still seek another vote, says transactions that move water away from Valley farms are not appropriate as the region suffers a well-publicized drought and water shortage.
"In my district, the loss of ag water means the loss of jobs. It is that simple," he said in floor debate.
He introduced Assembly Bill 2049 in response to last year's $73 million water sale from the Dudley Ridge Water District in Kings County to the Mojave Water Agency, which serves several cities in San Bernardino County. The seller was Sandridge Partners, a Bay Area company whose owners' holdings include farms and real estate.
Because the Legislature has no authority over federal water contractors, Arambula's bill only would apply to the State Water Project, which provides a small percentage of the ag water in the region -- all of it in the South Valley.
Arambula originally sought an outright ban on the transfers. He scaled the bill back in the face of a wave of opposition from farm groups and water districts, which argued that the bill weakens landowner rights. The groups remained opposed even after the changes. Republicans, who voted no, said the bill limited flexibility.
"We really do not need a bill that ties up things more with red tape and time delays and potential litigation," said Assembly Member Jean Fuller, R-Bakersfield.
AB 2049 also would prohibit the transferred water from being replaced with groundwater, unless the underground supplies are monitored.
In other action this week, the Assembly:
Passed AB 2695, by Assembly Member Ed Hernandez, D-West Covina, which would establish the California Nursery Producers Commission, which could levy assessments on nurseries to help pay for research and marketing.
Passed AB 1912, by Assembly Member Noreen Evans, D-Santa Rosa, which would create the California Apiary Research Commission. The commission could levy assessments on beekeepers to pay for research on ways to protect the health of honey bees, whose population is in decline.
