Council Supports State Fees on Paper and Plastic Bags

• Bill Now in the Legislature Seeks to Impose a 25-Cent First-Use Tab on Both

BY BILL KOENEKER

The Malibu City Council recently agreed to support a proposed Assembly measure that would establish a statewide 25-cent fee on single-use plastic and paper bags.
Senator Tom Torlakson (D-Antioch) is sponsoring AB 2058, which is described as a measure that will deter usage of the bags by large grocery stores and pharmacies by charging a statewide fee.
The city’s environmental programs coordinator Jennifer Voccola, in her staff report wrote, “This bill will help enhance the state’s recreational and tourism economy by protecting beneficial uses of resources, improve the quality of life for residents, free valuable landfill space and restore our environment to a cleaner and healthier state.”
However, opponents of the bill, who have spent thousands of dollars on advertising in opposition to the measure, contend the proposal would cost the average California family “over $400 per year.”
A proponent of the bill countered that if that same family began bringing a reusable bag to the market, it would not cost them anything. “That is the whole point of the bill,” he said.
The bill passed the Assembly and was sent in May to the Senate for committee assignment.
AB 2058 would also allow local jurisdictions greater flexibility in establishing local bag fees and would repeal the preemption clause on locally imposed fees for single use plastic bags, according to Voccola.
The city council recently banned plastic bags and the law went into effect with the provision that businesses would have several months before they needed to comply with the law.