California Plastic Bag Ban Veto Referendum - Prop 67 (Concord, Berkeley: sale, schools)

[CA4Now]

Originally Posted by citizensadvocate

I find that the truth is voters are very confused and overwhelmed on all the propositions they face for this election, and as they often lack the time and patience to study them,

There is also another interesting issue on Prop 67 that makes the matter really confusing...

Most people didn't find it that hard to figure out, since it passed. Save the planet!

California Voters Saved the First Statewide Plastic Bag Ban | TakePart

[citizensadvocate]

The results where pretty interesting as its not rocket science to see that nearly 95% of the customers at Grocery stores throughout CA vote for plastic in markets whenver they are asked by the cashier "paper or plastic." Therefore its highly likely that people were confused by the ballot measures and just vote according to guides as it would be hypocrital and ridiculous to vote for a ban on ones usual choice at the checkout counter at the ballot box.

As for those who say the measure passed. I would have to let you know there are still millions of ballots unaccounted for, and state ballot measures are not officially considered passed or rejected until December 16 which is more than a month away.

Also 4 million votes counted nowadays reflects roughly the opinion of 10% of 40 million Californians on ballot measures. Its sad that very few of the population vote unless they are on the far left or far right which obviously would favor the far left as they greatly outnumber the others in California. Though the bag industry really should had sponsored repealing the bag fee rather than having it becoming another fee directed to the government. This way they will get much more support than a new government fee. Though I read there are still about 5 million ballots unaccounted for so its likely that the final results will change.


As for the 0.6%, the figure is similar for bona fide plastics grocery/retail carryout bags almost every waste audit around the world.
For example
-San Francisco's SFDPW: This survey was done in the year before SF passed the first plastic bag ban in the nation
http://38.106.4.205/ftp/uploadedfile...Report2007.pdf
Page 33

-http://www.erplanning.com/uploads/Plastic_Retail_Bags_in_Litter.pdf

-Toronto's audit https://www1.toronto.ca/city_of_toro...dit_report.pdf
That was the year before Toronto's local bag ban was implemented, Th ban was repealed in less than two years after the results of the audits proved that the ban was more trouble than it was worth.

All of these audits show other plastic trash are a far greater issue compared to carryout bags which are often reused to keep other problem plastic trash from spilling.

As to prove streets in SJ and the Bay Area are covered in much more litter after the ban than before just use Google street view see images around the Bay Area before and after the ban after you look out the window of your car and see the trash hotspots which are all over San Jose and the Bay Area.

[Kaphawoman]

Originally Posted by CA4Now

People, this is not about how convenient a plastic bag is for you. It's about the greater good for society as a whole.

Yes thank you. If people want plastic bags, no one's stopping them from bringing their own.

[reen79]

I went grocery shopping the other day and just found out this prop passed. They are now charging 10 cents a bag...wtf!! made my bill higher also.. I voted against this obviously it didn't help.....I buy a lot of groceries when i shop so this really sucks...To have to bring your own bags every time you shop is so freakin annoying

[CA4Now]

Originally Posted by reen79

To have to bring your own bags every time you shop...

Which most of the rest of us have done for the past decade. Where have you been?

[citizensadvocate]

The good thing about SB270 compared to bans in some cities around the state is that stores that don't fall under the definition of a Grocery store under SB270 is not covered. We can still get free bags by shopping in farmers markets as well as small food shops that do not sell alcohol. Therefore this makes a good opportunities shoppers to start to boycott big Grocery chains who push for this just to profit from bag fees, and shop at farmers markets and small shops.

Though its disappointing that the organizations that pushed this referendum did not act earlier when the two largest cities in the state Los Angeles, and San Jose passed their bans in 2010 and 2012, both of them before a general election. It appears the only reason carryout bags are unfairly targeted compared to all the other plastics including but not limited to non retail plastic bags and wrapping which cause much more environmental harm is because these companies are a soft target compared to the others. Due to their lack of ability to think clearly and be able to work together to lobby and fight. 95% of shoppers in markets around the state when given a choice obviously "vote" for plastic bags at the checkout counter therefore the vote should had been a no brainer.

I would like to let people know that the ballot count is not over yet therefore Prop 67 or any of the other issues on the ballot that matter is not officially passed or failed until all the ballots are counted which the deadline is December 19. Therefore big grocers are voluntarily complying with a yet to be law just to be greedy on profiting from bag fees. Think about they lobbied hard for it even though they prefer to use plastic if it wasn't for the mandatory fee requirement. If one reads the law the state has placed it self in pages of bureaucracy just a for a carryout bag. All this bureaucracy explains why the state is always a mess.

[CA4Now]

Originally Posted by citizensadvocate

We can still get free bags by shopping in farmers markets as well as small food shops

Curious as to why you label yourself a "citizen's advocate." For what are you an advocate? More pollution?

this makes a good opportunities shoppers to start to boycott big Grocery chains who push for this just to profit from bag fees

No big grocer is trying to profit from anything. The ban is probably making grocers uncomfortable. (This past week, I've seen three different store employees try to explain this ban to customers. One of them gave up and said, "This is a state decision! We have nothing to do with it.")

[V8 Vega]

Those one time use bags probably cost the grocers a fraction of a penny each. Charging 10 cents each for a bag means tremendous profits obviously.

[CA4Now]

Originally Posted by V8 Vega

Those one time use bags probably cost the grocers a fraction of a penny each. Charging 10 cents each for a bag means tremendous profits obviously.

The charge is not about profit. It's meant to discourage the use of plastic bags.

[ryanms3030]

The interesting thing is 67 passed but 65 which would redirect profit from sale of reusable bags to go to environmental funds. So people want to ban free plastic bags to help the environment but are fine with stores keeping the profit from bag sales instead of going to environment. It goes to prove that most people are idiots or don't read any of the ballot measures or both