Bag ban puts too much burden on consumer

This past Tuesday, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors voted 3 to 1, with Supervisor Don Knabe absent, to ban plastic shopping bags in all markets and convenience stores in the county’s unincorporated areas — home to 1.5 million residents (“La Crescenta says goodbye to plastic,” Nov. 17).

I voted “no” on the ban based on the facts that it is not sound public policy, and it also only increases costs and regulations on the 1.5 million residents and the businesses residing in the county’s unincorporated areas — and not the county’s 88 cities (“Time for a sweeping plastic-bag ban,” Nov. 20). The mandated 10-cent per-bag charge represents a new tax on the consumer.

At a time of economic uncertainty and with large numbers of businesses leaving our state, this is not the appropriate time in our efforts to clean up the environment to impose additional regulations on businesses, and an additional tax on consumers — many of whom don’t have jobs today.

In place of draconian fees and regulations, educating our residents on the harm of illegally disposing their plastic bags can be effective in ensuring that these bags don’t end up on our beaches, and in our rivers, parks and landfills.

Telling residents which bags they can use, cannot use and how much they will be charged is Big Brother at its worst.

Michael D. Antonovich

Glendale

Editor’s note: Antonovich is this district’s Los Angeles County supervisor.