California bag ban fails

The much-ballyhooed, Governator-approved, heavily-lobbied California plastic bag ban measure late last night failed to pass the California Senate by a 14-21 tally. Assembly Bill 1998 would have banned the distribution of plastic bags at grocery stores and other retail establishments in the Golden State, allowing only reusable bags or paper bags to be made available for sale.

The measure was hotly contested by both sides of the issue with bag opponents enjoying a huge advantage in the media, producing one Jeremy Irons-narrated mockumentary about the plastic sacks and another voiced-over by Werner Herzog. The plastic industry — primarily in the form of the American Chemistry Council — had a large monetary advantage, however, able to buy ad time on both TV and radio as well as able to finance lobbying efforts.

Though lacking the star power and news coverage of the bag ban, three other recycling measures did manage pass out of the state senate yesterday:

• AB 737, which expands recycling in the Golden State to every commercial establishment and multi-family residence
• AB 2398, which establishes extended producer responsibility for carpet
• AB 1343, another extended producer responsibility measure, this time for paint.

All three measures now wait for Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger's signature.