Legislation to ban plastic bags from grocery store checkouts, authored in part by an Encinitas lawmaker, has passed both the Assembly and state Senate.
SB 1053 and AB 2236, authored by Sen. Catherine Blakespear (D-Encinitas) and Assemblymember Rebecca Bauer-Kahan (D-Orinda), are identical bills that are intended to close a loophole in California’s ban of single-use plastic bags at grocery store checkouts, which was first passed in 2014 and then approved by the state’s voters in 2016.
It allowed stores to sell customers thicker plastic carryout bags that were considered reusable and met certain recyclability standards…