Bag ban sacked

California’s proposed ban of plastic shopping bags failed to pass the state Senate on May 27, falling three votes short of approval.

Senate Bill 405, by Sen. Alex Padilla (D-Los Angeles), would have prohibited Golden State retailers from providing customers with plastic shopping bags, and would have allowed retailers to charge for paper bags, according to The Sacramento Bee. Padilla said the bill was an opportunity to “be aggressive about how we transition to a cleaner economy,” and that the ban would reduce litter, help wildlife and assist local governments tasked with cleaning up.

The measure was opposed by the plastic-bag industry, which has spent nearly $300,000 lobbying against the bill. The American Progressive Bag Alliance issued a statement saying the bill was based on “unfounded stats, junk science and myths,” and that the ban would have cost 2,000 plastic-factory workers their jobs.