Letters to the Editor: Finally, a ban on ‘reusable’ plastic bags that no one reuses

To the editor: The bill passed by the California Legislature to eliminate plastic bags at grocery stores, even the thicker “reusable” ones that are rarely reused, is a long overdue. I am pleased to see support across the board for this legislation.

I have not taken a plastic bag from a store in many years. Reusable bags are such an easy alternative. Should a person forget to take a reusable bag, a paper bag is still a viable alternative.

My thanks go to state Sen. Catherine Blakespear (D-Encinitas) and Assemblymember Rebecca Bauer-Kahan (D-Orinda) for their persistence in getting this bill passed. I hope Gov. Gavin Newsom quickly signs this important legislation into law.

Larry Kramer, San Juan Capistrano

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To the editor: I was very involved in opposing the state’s first plastic bag ban 10 years ago on the grounds that the government should not be telling consumers how to run their lives.

What I quickly realized was that it was a way for grocery stores to have the legal pretext to charge customers for something they had always given away. It was a flat-out lie to the people, and enrichment of business, in the name of the environment.

It was also demonstrated by studies at the time that the best solution was 100% post-consumer paper bags.

James Stewart, Panorama City