Hermosa Beach poised to adopt citywide plastic bag ban

The City Council on Tuesday unanimously passed, on first reading, an ordinance that would ban the city’s retailers, pharmacies, restaurants and food service providers from handing out single-use plastic bags to customers. Council will give its final approval at its second and final reading at the September 1 meeting. If it passes, the new law becomes effective October 1.

The newest version of the ordinance also deems the 10 cent surcharge for the alternative paper bag an option rather than a requirement for the merchants, many of whom advocated for the amendment saying their businesses have been giving out paper bags free of charge for years. Adding a sudden charge would be jarring for customers, they argued.

Dennis Jarvis of Spyder Surfboards and Craig Cadwallader, head of Surfrider Foundation’s South Bay chapter, led the efforts in reaching the compromise after initial discussions about the ordinance last month.  

“This is the thing we want to get rid of,” Cadwallader said, holding up a plastic bag. “Ideally it would be with a reusable bag.”

He further challenged the city to promote reusable bags by giving them out for free at events, as Manhattan Beach does. He said once the ordinance passes, he and Jarvis would like to lead a publicity campaign on opting for reusable bags rather than paper bags.

In response to a detractor who urged the council not to pass a ban on something that hasn’t proved harmful, former councilman Jeff Duclos argued hard facts.

“This type of carryout bag ordinance maximizes environmental gain and minimizes impact to business,” Duclos said. “For example, in one year a ban in San Jose reported 89 percent reduction in plastic bag litter in storm drains, a 59 percent reduction in city streets and neighborhoods and a 66 percent reduction in creeks and rivers.”

When the law becomes into effect, Hermosa Beach will be joining 138 other cities and counties in the state that have enacted bans, including Manhattan Beach, Long Beach, the City of Los Angeles and Los Angeles County.

Councilwoman Nanette Barragan thanked Jarvis and Cadwallader for shedding light on the merchants’ dilemma about the paper bag surcharge.

“The ultimate goal is to use reusable bags and this is the first step towards it,” Barragan said. “… I see this as a win-win that we have addressed the issues the small businesses had and we get rid of the plastic bags in the city. And I really applaud the small businesses in our city for having already done it.” ER

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