LA City Council tentatively bans plastic bags
Los Angeles poised to become biggest city to ban single-use plastic bags
An unidentified woman unloads her groceries packed in plastic bags outside Ralph's supermarket in Monterey Park area of Los Angeles Tuesday, June 18, 2013. Los Angeles City Council is expected to vote Tuesday on whether to ban stores from handing out single-use plastic bags. The law would take effect next year. Supporters say the plastic bags litter cities and beaches and endanger wildlife. Manufacturers say the ban would cost jobs. Los Angeles County and other cities, including San Francisco and Santa Monica, already have bans in place. (AP Photo/Nick Ut)
LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Los Angeles is one council vote away from becoming the nation's largest city to pass a ban on plastic grocery bags, which officials say will stop the flow of 2 billion single-use bags that are distributed each year and often end up in gutters and on beaches.
The City Council voted 11-1 Tuesday in favor of the ban. Since it failed to earn unanimous approval, the ordinance will face a second vote next week.
Los Angeles "took a stand today for our children to protect our environment, which also sends a strong and clear message to every big city in the nation that they should follow our lead," said Councilmember Jose Huizar, who chairs the Energy and Environment Committee.
The ban would apply to convenience stores, supermarkets and large retailers, such as Wal-Mart, that sell perishable foods. Stores would be prohibited from handing out single-use bags and would pay fines ranging from $100 to $500 for violations. Shoppers would have to bring their own reusable bags or pay 10 cents for each paper bag.
The ordinance would take effect Jan. 1 for large stores, while smaller stores will have until July 2014 to comply.
Officials from the Bureau of Sanitation said the 10-cent surcharge would be used to offset any additional costs stores have to make the switch, adding that any remaining funds would be used to educate the public about proper care for reusable bags.
Sanitation authorities estimate about 2 billion plastic bags are distributed in the city each year. That's more than 228,000 bags every hour.
Proponents of the ban said the plastic bags litter cities and beaches and endanger wildlife. Councilman Bill Rosendahl, a long-time supporter of the ban, said the law was a "no brainer."
"Go see what plastic does to a fish, what it does to a food chain, what it does to life itself," he said during Tuesday's meeting. "This is a historic step in the right direction."
Representatives for plastic manufacturers have argued the ordinance would cost jobs, and others opposed to the ban said reusable bags could pose a health risk because they are prone to bacteria. Sanitation representatives said the bags are safe to use because each one comes with cleaning instructions.
Councilmember Bernard Parks, who cast the sole dissenting vote, said the ordinance would place a burden on many residents.
"We are putting it on their shoulders to maneuver through this phase of the economy," he told the city council. "Many of them are trying to figure out how to buy food."
Los Angeles County and other cities around the state, including San Francisco and Santa Monica, already have bans in place.
LA's vote came a month after a similar measure failed in the California Legislature that would have barred grocery stores, convenience stores and pharmacies from handing out single-use plastic bags. It was the fifth such bill to fail in the state Senate since 2010.
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