Santa Monica Bag Ban

In a unanimous decision, Santa Monica City Council voted to pass a single-use plastic bag ban ordinance on January 25, 2011. The decision took nearly four years to pass completely, since the city was plagued by ongoing threats of litigation by the plastics industry. Enforcement of the ordinance begins September 1, 2011. It would prohibit all retail establishments from providing single-use plastic bags, but allows for paper bags to be sold for ten cents. Exempt from the plastic bag ban are restaurants and food trucks.