In 2007, San Francisco became the first U.S. city to ban single-use plastic bags. California Governor Jerry Brown later followed suit, signing a statewide ban in 2014. But the ban never officially went into effect: the plastics industry stalled it by gathering enough signatures for a referendum to be placed on the November 2016 ballot – Proposition 67 – that could overturn the law by popular vote. Proposition 65, another measure brought forth by the plastic bag industry, proposes using the fees that grocery stores charge for bags to fund environmental programs. Currently, retailers keep the bag fees. Environmental groups claim that the dual propositions are an industry ploy to undermine the ban and confuse voters, while proponents of Prop. 67 say they are fighting to protect bag makers’ jobs. We check in on the issue.
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