Making good on its threat to sue Carpinteria for its single-use bag ban if the city didn’t remove specific language from its new ordinance, the San Francisco-based and industry-backed Save the Plastic Bag Coalition filed litigation against the South Coast city on 3/20. The suit alleges that the part of Carpinteria’s bag ban that restricts restaurants from distributing disposable totes violates state health law that preempts local regulation. The Coalition, which successfully sued Santa Cruz County on the same basis and recently filed against San Francisco, says restaurants need plastic bags to let customers safely transport hot take-out items.
