San Diego's Proposed Plastic Bag Ban Gets Criticized

On Wednesday, community and business leaders criticized a proposed city of San Diego ordinance to ban plastic shopping bags at most stores.

Eliminating the wispy thin bags is a major priority for environmentalists, who contend they scatter across beaches and get into the ocean, where they harm marine life. Also, 95 percent end up in landfills, taking up valuable space.

The ordinance would ban plastic bags at most stores, mandate a 10 cent- per-bag charge for customers who ask for paper bags, and require shopkeepers to maintain records for three years.

The proposal would force San Diegans to start paying for grocery bags for the first time, said Bishop George McKinney, a pastor at St. Stephen's Cathedral and a longtime community activist.

"In essence, this is a tax—a multimillion-dollar tax on San Diegans," McKinney told reporters. "And with the cost of living on the rise, I can tell you the last thing we need today from government is something that will make life even more difficult for people, especially working families. Government should be finding ways to help people—not hurt them."

McKinney was among a group of black pastors who spoke out against the proposal, along with former state Sen. Wadie Deddeh and Mark Arabo, president and CEO of the Neighborhood Market Association, which represents small markets and convenience stores.

The proposal unanimously passed the City Council's Rules and Economic Development Committee in October. The next step is for city staff to draft language and conduct an economic review. The process is expected to take from nine months to a full year before the issue returns to the City Council for possible adoption.

Committee Chairwoman Sherri Lightner, who is guiding the development of the ordinance, said at the October meeting that "simply hoping" more people will return plastic bags to retailers for recycling is no longer good enough.

"Our canyons, waterways, storm drain systems, streets and landfills deserve better," Lightner said.

While he voted to allow staff to write the law, Councilman Mark Kersey said he was troubled that huge hardware stores would be exempted while smaller establishments get stuck with the regulatory burden.

A study by the Encinitas-based Equinox Center found that 500 million of the bags are used in San Diego annually, and 350 million fewer would be used if the proposed ordinance was adopted.

The executive director of the center, Lani Lutar, supports a bag ban.

The Equinox Center report found that neither retailers nor consumers suffered significant economic damage in the jurisdictions around the state where bans are in effect. Shoppers in those areas had to shell out an initial $7.70 to purchase reusable bags, but the costs diminished over time since they last so long.