It’s more than a little disturbing that Governor Schwarzenegger, this week, said that he’d like to reintroduce failed legislation that would not only ban stores from giving out free plastic shopping bags, but also force stores to charge their customers for paper or reusable bags and let the stores keep the money. The proposal was so bad on so many fronts that proponents scrambled to make last minute changes to address some of the more absurd provisions.
Now the Governor wants to blame the defeat on, what he calls, “special interests” instead of facing the truth– it was an awful bill that would have further damaged our already fragile economy. California’s unemployment rate is nearly 13 percent. Small businesses are struggling. Working families are cutting budgets to make ends meet. State government is facing a $20-billion deficit.
Now is not the time to target an industry that employs more than 1200 Californians. What would happen to these jobs if bag ban legislation becomes law? Why would any business stay in a state that chooses to eliminate the market for its products?
In addition to killing manufacturing jobs, bag ban legislation threatens family-owned grocery stores, convenience stores, liquor stores and small markets.
These small businesses survive on razor thin profit margins. Forcing them and their customers to pay for costly paper bags is unreasonable and unfair. They simply cannot compete with chain and big box stores, which will be able to leverage economies of scale for competitive advantage.
“This is the last thing my business or my customers need,” small business owners tell me all the time. “Times are hard and every penny counts for everyone.”
And that’s the message California residents resoundingly sent to lawmakers with the passage of Proposition 26 last month. Consumers are sick and tired of bearing the burden of new “taxes” thinly disguised as fees.
I sincerely hope the legislature doesn’t cave to pressure to pick up this dead bill. California needs jobs. Businesses need the freedom to succeed. Average consumers shouldn’t be nickel-and-dimed to death when they shop. Proposals like the plastic bag ban bill have no business becoming law. Our legislature spoke loud and clear about that. They shouldn’t have to do it again.