On 10/1/13 Santa Barbara Enacted Plastic Bag Ban. Goleta Will Be Next. Many Cities To Follow

http://www.independent.com/news/2013/oct/01/city-council-enacts-plastic-bag-ban/

According to the article above, on 10/1/13, Santa Barbara enacted plastic bag ban to go into effect in 6 months on big supermarkets and pharmacies. 6 months afterward, it will be applied to small food stores also.

The cost of Environment Impact Report (EIR) of $66,000 was shared by 7 coastal cities in Ventura and Santa Barbara Counties. Besides Santa Barbara are: Carpinteria, Goleta, Oxnard, Port Hueneme, Ventura, I think. "To date, the City of Santa Barbara is the first to approve the EIR, but the County of Santa Barbara is currently in the process of drafting a very similar measure, and activists are pushing the City of Goleta to begin the process, as well. The City of Carpinteria passed a much more restrictive measure two years ago but has since suffered legal setbacks in the courts."

The ban and fee are bad for:
- businesses: to bag customers purchases is the least of customer services that retailers should provide, especially when it come to discretionary shopping, which is for fun. If it is no fun anymore, why shop? All stores can close, we can all go home!

- residents: Many of us use plastic bags for trash and pet waste. Without them, we will have to buy the much thicker and bigger trash bags. Why is the later better?

- for environment. Plastic bags are the by-product of natural gas, not oil. And they take little to make. Verses paper bags which come from trees. From logging, debarking, chop & dice, add water to make pulp, squeeze water out and flatten to make paper, the whole process takes much more resources and energy and create more greenhouse gases. Why is paper better?

Read my 8/13 blog: To Read and To Watch, I have a collection of articles and videos.


At this moment, it is only the activists / environmentalists are talking and talking based on myths and misrepresentation. Write to Counties of Ventura & Santa Barbara, and all the cities in these 2 counties. You will be glad that you come to their defense. 

Board of Supervisors of Santa Barbara County:
http://www.countyofsb.org/government.aspx?id=624

Board of Supervisors of Ventura County:
http://www.ventura.org/board-of-supervisors

City Council of Santa Barbara:
http://www.santabarbaraca.gov/gov/cityhall/council/default.asp 

City Council of Goleta:
http://www.cityofgoleta.org/index.aspx?page=137

City of Oxnard:
http://citycouncil.cityofoxnard.org/3

City of Port Hueneme:
http://www.ci.port-hueneme.ca.us/index.aspx?NID=319
Email the city council: councilwebmail@cityofporthueneme.org

City Council of Ventura:
http://www.cityofventura.net/about/citycouncil