VOTE YES on Prop 67 to implement the statewide bag ban passed by the legislature in 2014.• Californiaenactedastate-wideplasticbagban(SB

270–Padilla)intolawin2014.• Thelawwasblockedwhenoutofstatebag

manufacturersplacedProp67ontheballot.ItrequiresvoterstoapprovetheimplementationofSB270,thelegislativelyenactedban.

• TheseoutofstatebagmanufacturershavenowplacedtwomeasuresontheNovemberballot(Prop67andProp65)inordertoconfusevotersandpreventastate-wideplasticbagban.

VOTE NO on Prop 65 because it could invalidate the statewide bag ban.• Prop65soundsgoodbecauseitwoulddivert

fundsraisedfromthesaleofpaperbagstoanenvironmentalfund.

• LegalanalysisindicatesthatthereisagoodchancethatifProp65passes,thefeeschargedonbags,asaresultofthepassageofProp67,couldbeviewedasatax,andwouldrequirea2/3majorityofvoterstosupportitinordertobevalid,whichmeansProp65couldinvalidatethestatebagban,since2/3ofvoterssupportingisaveryhighbar.

• Weknow:It’ssuper-confusing!Butthat’sthepoint.We’reprettysurethebagindustryputthisontheballotbecausetheywanttoconfusevoters.

California's bag ban protects the environment — not the profits of out-of-state bag manufacturers.• InCalifornia,themulti-milliondollar“no”campaign

againstthebagbanis98%fundedbyout-of-state

firms,andthelargestfundersareplasticbagmanufacturersfromSouthCarolina,NewJersey,andTexas.1

Plastic bags waste taxpayer dollars. • Governmentspendsroughly$428millionannuallyto

controllitterbeforeitreachesstatewaters.Between8and25percentofthatcostisattributabletoplasticbagwaste.2

• Managingthe24billionbagsthatendupinlandfillscosts$25milliondollarseachyear.3

Plastic bag recycling is costly and ineffective.• Recyclingplasticbagsdoesnotmakeeconomic

sense.Onereportfoundrecyclingonetonofplasticbagscosts$4,000.Therecycledproductcanbesoldfor$32.4

• Shoppingbagsjamexpensivemachineryatrecyclingplantsandcontaminatetherecyclingstream,increasingcosts.IntheCityofSanJose,plasticbagjamscostthecityapproximately$1millionperyear.5

Why Vote Yes on Prop 67 and No on Prop 65 to Ban Single-Use Plastic Bags in California?Voters have a key opportunity this November to uphold California’s single-use plastic bag ban, but need to watch out for dirty ballot tricks by the bag industry.

A mother sea otter tries to rescue her pup from a plastic bag in California.

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1 http://cal-access.sos.ca.gov/Campaign/Committees/Detail.aspx?id=1372902&view=late1&session=20152 NRDC,“WasteinOurWater:TheAnnualCosttoCaliforniaCommunitiesofReducingLitterthatPollutesOurWaterways,”August2013.http://docs.nrdc.org/oceans/oce_13082701.asp3 “Shopping?TakeReusableBags!”CalRecycle.N.p.,23Nov.2011.Web.13June2012.http://www.calrecycle.ca.gov/publiced/holidays/ReusableBags.htm4 CleanAirCouncil.(2009May).Why Plastic Bag Fees Work.5 CityofSanJosestaffreport,SanJoseTransportationandEnvironmentCommitteeHearing,February2,2009.6 “SingleUseBagOrdinance,LosAngelesCounty,CA,”GreenCitiesCalifornia,January27,2013,http://greencitiescalifornia.org/best-practices/waste-reduction/LA-co_single-use-bag.html7 https://www.sanjoseca.gov/Archive/ViewFile/Item/20278 http://www.cawrecycles.org/list-of-local-bag-bans/9 S.C.GailandR.C.Thompson,MarinePollutionBulletin,Volume92,Issues1–2,15March2015,Pages170–17910 http://www.biologicaldiversity.org/campaigns/ocean_plastics/11 http://www.sfei.org/documents/microplastic-contamination-san-francisco-bay12 http://www.latimes.com/science/sciencenow/la-sci-sn-tons-of-plastic-trash-in-oceans-20150213-story.html13 BrendleGroup.“TripleBottomLineEvaluation:PlasticBagPolicyOptions.”CityofFortCollins,October2012,pg.9.14 http://www3.epa.gov/region9/marine-debris/faq.html15 “FightingtheTideofPlasticBagsinaWorldAwashwithWaste"http://edition.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/asiapcf/07/13/eco.plasticbagwaste/index.html

Bag bans work. • LargestorescoveredbyLosAngelesCounty’sbanonplasticbagsreducedoverallsingle-usebagusage

by95%,whichincludesa30%reductioninpaperbagusage.6• SanJosereducedplasticbaglitterby89%inthestormdrainsystem,60%inthecreeksandrivers,and

59%incitystreetsandneighborhoods.7• 151jurisdictionsinCaliforniahavenowbannedsingle-useplasticbagsandplacedafeeonpaperbags.8

Plastic bags harm marine and human life. • Atleast690speciesareimpactedbymarinedebris(mostlyplastic);10%ofthemhadingestedmicro-

plastics.9• Ingestionofplasticdebrisbyseabirds,fish,andseaturtleshasbeenwidelydocumented.Ingestioncan

causesuffocationorstarvation;wildlifecanalsogetentangledinplasticdebris.

California’s waterways are filling with plastic.• IntheLosAngelesareaalone,10metrictonsofplasticfragments—likegrocerybags,strawsandsoda

bottles—arecarriedintothePacificOceaneveryday.10• Nearly4millionpiecesofplasticfloodtheSanFranciscoBayeveryday.11

• About61%ofstreetlitterintheBayAreaisnotcapturedorcontrolledbystreetsweepingandlittercollectionandendsupflowingintoinlandandcoastalwaters.12

Single-use plastic bags are a major part of the problem.• Becausetheyarelightweight,plasticbagscanoftenbecomelitter.Evenwhenproperlydisposedof,theyfly

outofopengarbagecontainersandlandfills.13• AccordingtotheCaliforniaCoastalCommission,plasticbagscomprise13.5%ofshorelinelitter.TheCityof

LosAngelesfoundthatplasticbagsmadeup25%oflitterinstormdrains.14• Theaveragetimeofuseofadisposablebagis12minutes.15

FOR MORE INFORMATION:CFacebook.com/cleanwateractionCA • www.cleanwateraction.org/CA350 Frank Ogawa Plaza, Suite 200, Oakland, CA 94612Tel. (415) 369-9160 • Email: cabagban@cleanwater.org

Paid for by Clean Water Action for distribution to its members.