Re "Pay reforms inspired by Bell OKd, but lawmakers defeat a proposed ban on plastic grocery bags," Sept. 1 Though I was never too keen on the ban of lady dior prix , because I would have had to buy plastic bags for garbage anyway, I am appalled at the blatant lobbying and political donations that eventually struck down the bill in the final moments of the 2010 legislative session. he plastic bag issue is about waste — excessive waste. We have and use more bags than we need and more than the environment can sustain. If the plastic bag manufacturers want to continue to make the bags, they should also recycle them. A good way to do this: Pay people to recycle them, the same way we do with aluminum cans and plastic bottles. This will keep people employed, keep the bags out of the environment and educate the public. It should have been done years ago. I am a retired person, and I have been environmentally aware for 60 years. I carefully sort my recyclables and the green stuff for my green can. However, I reuse every plastic bag I receive. I use these bags for my garbage and refuse so I do not have to buy new plastic bags. I depend on these bags and, if I lose them, I will need to shell out dollars I save for other necessities. Activists had worked for passage of such pioneering measures as a ban on plastic grocery bags and expanded use of the sun, wind and other renewable resources to power California homes and businesses.

But the bold proposals they saw as a springboard to nationwide environmental efforts collapsed in the face of aggressive industry opposition that included intensive lobbying, television advertising and even mail to voters. "We're in shock," said Mark Gold, president of the nonprofit Heal the Bay, which had helped lead a large coalition of activists, retailers and unions crusading for the bag ban. The measure to bar grocery stores from giving away single-use Hermes Kelly appeared headed for the books earlier in the summer, when it was approved by the Assembly and the governor said he would sign it. Backers say the sacks, which can take generations to decompose, have become a scourge on the environment, polluting the urban landscape and oceans alike. But the American Chemical Council, a trade group, fought hard against the measure. It spent $242,000 over six months to hire five lobbying firms as it opposed the ban before the battle even reached its peak in July and August, according to the group's most recent disclosures. The organization also bankrolled a television advertising blitz that exploited the political anxieties of lawmakers already under fire for the state's financial mess. "California's in trouble," said the narrator in one ad. "2.3 million unemployed. A $19-billion deficit. And what are some Sacramento politicians focused on? Grocery bags.''

The chemical industry also wrote campaign checks to lawmakers for tens of thousands of dollars in recent months. Recipients included business-friendly Democrats in the state Senate who joined GOP colleagues to block the bill, AB 1998 by Assemblywoman Julia Brownley (D-Santa Monica). Tim Shestek, a senior director for the council, said the purpose of the ad campaign was to inform consumers what it would cost them if they were forced to pay for every gucci replica they used unless they carried their own. "The bill had some negative impacts on consumers and manufacturers," he said. Environmentalists say they will take their own campaign to cities and counties, encouraging them to pass local bag bans. Los Angeles County and the cities of Los Angeles and Santa Monica are already considering such measures. Brownley lamented that instead of one uniform rule, "we'll have a patchwork of ordinances throughout the state." The industry opposition was not the only thing that conspired against the bag ban and other major legislation championed by environmentalists. The absence, because of illness, of liberal Democratic Sens. Jenny Oropeza of Long Beach and Patricia Wiggins of Santa Rosa in the final weeks of the legislative session bolstered the clout of their more business-friendly colleagues. Environmentalists also failed in their bid to wean consumers off another product they see as harmful: the chemical bisphenol-A, or BPA. It is used to manufacture shatter-proof plastic ##### bottles and sippy cups and can leach into food or drink, according to numerous scientific studies.

Many studies have linked the chemical to health and developmental problems. Sen. Fran Pavley (D-Agoura Hills) proposed that its use be banned in feeding products for infants and toddlers. Her bill, SB 797, passed the Assembly but fell two votes short in the Senate. Oropeza and Wiggins probably would have voted for it, as they had in the past. Over the weekend, Assemblywoman Julia Brownley (D-Santa Monica) and other supporters of the bill to ban replica gucci bags (AB 1998) attempted to make the legislation more palatable to state senators, who will decide the bill's fate soon. The amendments they made to win over reluctant senators actually prove that Brownley's bill would hurt working families, put people out of good jobs and create an expensive new bureaucracy when California has far more pressing problems to solve. The amendments added behind closed doors shine a spotlight on the major weaknesses of the legislation. The revision requiring stores to offer free bags to customers using food stamps acknowledges the bill's adverse impact on working families. What about those barely treading water but who aren't on assistance? Furthermore, including a worker retraining program proves that this bill would put people out of work. There are about 1,000 workers out there right now who stand to lose stable gjtxvhjg56, well-paying jobs. A training program to make reusable bags doesn't make sense when those bags already are being imported inexpensively from overseas.

Finally, the amendments double the price of the bill. It was a bad bill when it cost the state $2 million a year, per the Senate's estimate. Now it will cost Californians $4 million a year. Adding any amount to California's $19-billion budget deficit doesn't make sense. Recently, we at the American Chemistry Council have come under fire — on The Times' editorial gucci replica handbags and elsewhere — for trying to make sure Californians have the facts about this legislation. Our efforts, which include the website stopthebagpolice.com, print ads and TV commercials, have been called a media blitz. But the real blitz has come from those who would stifle choice and presume to tell shoppers how to take their groceries home from the store. It's come from special-interest California grocers who, incentivized by the prospect of no longer having to provide free bags to customers, are seeking cover behind what amounts to state-sanctioned price fixing. And it's come from a few opportunistic reusable bag companies, many of whom import their products, who without an environmental impact study promise to ramp up U.S. production and make reusable bags to replace the plastic ones the state wants to ban. Meanwhile, what's underreported are the stories of those who would be impacted by this legislation, the stories of the nearly 500 small businesses and consumer groups opposed to AB 1998. http://www.tripcafe.pl/hermes74 http://www.wedspace.com/blogs/posts/hermes74

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