Plastic bag ban defeated by California lawmakers
By Susan Ferriss and Jim Sanders, Sacramento Bee
A measure to ban plastic carryout bags in supermarkets, drug and convenience stores was defeated late Tuesday in the state Senate, where key lawmakers said it could prove too costly for consumers.
The proposal to make California the first state to institute such a ban was designed to go into effect in large stores in 2012 and smaller stores in 2013.
By July 2012, big stores would be allowed to charge customers, at cost only, for recycled paper bags.
Lawmakers debated the bill as they worked toward a midnight deadline. The measure received just 14 votes, with 20 opposed.