By Gary Walker

  Culver City residents who supported Assembly Bill 1998, which would have outlawed the use of plastic bags in stores throughout the state, are seeking answers from one their state representatives regarding his Aug. 31 vote, as well as his thoughts on a municipal ban on plastic.

  State Sen. Curren Price (D-Culver City) was one of the opposing votes for AB 1998, which was lost by a 21-14 margin last month. Price was lobbied during the final days before the vote by a coalition of local residents who urged the senator to support the legislation sponsored by Price's colleague Sen. Julia Brownley (D-Santa Monica).

  "During this past legislative session, I was unable support Assembly Bill 1998, which would have eliminated single-use plastic bags in most grocery stores and require these stores to charge consumers at least a nickel for paper bags," Price explained to the News via email on Tuesday. "The reasons for my opposition had nothing to do with the intent of the legislation, but rather its unintended consequences on small businesses in my district, as well as its potential impact on seniors and the working poor."

  Tim Shestek, senior director of state affairs for the American Chemistry Council, applauded the defeat on AB 1998, which he said would have cost 1,000 well-paying manufacturing jobs in California. "We congratulate Senate members for discarding a costly bill that provides no real solutions to California's litter problem and would have further jeopardized California's already strained economy," Shestek said.

  "I can't see any possible justification for a no vote," Meghan Sahli-Wells, an environmental advocate, said of Price's explanation.

  California municipalities spend nearly $25 million each year just to collect and dispose of plastic bag waste, according to Santa Monica-based Heal the Bay, the environmental organization that was one of the biggest backers of AB 1998.

  Price said after hearing from a number of business groups and entrepreneurs, he decided to vote against the environmental bill. "Based on these conversations, I now believe that the provisions contained in AB 1998 could have a negative impact on working families, particularly the working poor, and possibly eliminate thousands of manufacturing jobs from California's labor market," he wrote.

  The senator said his environmental credentials are impeccable and he pointed out that he received a 95% rating from the California League of Conservation Voters, which also endorsed Sahli-Wells during her bid for city council in April.

  "During my tenure in office, I have worked diligently to build a good working relationship with the environmental community and to establish and maintain a solid record on environmental issues, a track record that I am extremely proud to be associated with," said Price, who is running for reelection in November against Republican challenger Rabbi Nachum Shifren and Peace and Freedom candidate Cindy Varela Henderson. "Over the years, I have consistently supported policies to promote conservation of our natural resources including air and water quality, and have advocated vigorously for sustainable development and global warming policies."

  Following the failure AB 1998 to pass the state Senate, a group of Culver City residents began to advocate for a local ban on plastic bags in grocery stores, retail stores and restaurants.

  A member of Transition Culver City, a local conservation and sustainability organization, Sahil-Wells said she and representatives from Heal the Bay are planning an event in Culver City on Oct. 10 that they hope will be the springboard to rally local residents to support an ordinance against the selling of plastic bags.

  Oct. 10, 2010 has special meaning to environmentalists. On that day, representatives from a global sustainability group, www.350.org, is planning a series of events across the globe that include installing solar panels, insulating homes, erecting windmills and planting trees, among other initiatives.

  The Culver City event will be "our contribution locally to create awareness about the need for a measure to ban these bags in Culver City," Sahli- Wells said.

  Other cities are also considering enacting or putting  in place their own local ordinances that would prohibit the sale of plastic bags.

  Santa Monica City Councilman Terry O'Day sees an economic cost to his city as more plastic pollutants find their way into the ocean. "Single-use plastic bags are a burden to our oceans, our beaches, our economy and the cleanliness of our city," he said. "Our city is incurring costs for disposal of single-use bags, other communities around the world have proven that eliminating plastic bags from the waste stream is sensible."

  While she strongly supports a city ban on plastic bags, Sahli- Wells said working with the Westside Cities Council of Government (COG) on a multiple city prohibition might be the best way for Culver City's governing body to pursue meaningful legislation.

  "I strongly encourage our city to work with the COG, of which members West Hollywood, Los Angeles and Santa Monica are all independently planning on implementing bans," she stated. "Working together, we will better be able to face pressures from the powerful American Chemistry Council while also easing compliance for our businesses, by creating a homogenous ban for the area, as opposed to confusing, pell-mell bans in each individual city."

  Councilman Andrew Weissman, like Sahli-Wells, thinks this approach would be more workable than individual city bans.

  "I don't know enough about the issue to know that it makes sense for a ban on a city-to-city basis," Weissman acknowledged. "The effort to ban plastic is certainly worthwhile, but having a regional ban might be a better way of achieving it."

  Alan Shulman, one of the proprietors of Akasha, a Culver City restaurant, said the city government should move to stop the sale of plastic bags.

  "What better way to make a conscientious statement in a consumer-driven economy," he said.

  Jay Handal has a different view.

  A former president of the Culver City Downtown Business Association, Handal is concerned that a citywide ban in Culver City could create a situation where local grocers would be required to purchase reusable bags instead of their competitors in nearby Los Angeles, putting them at a disadvantage during a recession.

  "Sometimes the burden on businesses gets tough," said Handal, a former Culver City restaurant owner who backed AB 1998. "From an environmental standpoint, it's certainly the right thing for the state to do, but passing a ban on city-to-city basis could be a mistake."

  "The damage that is being done to the planet is more of a hardship on everyone," Shulman countered.

  Price said he understands that many of his constituents wanted him to vote for AB 1998, but as an elected leader he is frequently called upon to consider a variety of interests in his district.

  "As an elected official representing a major urban area, I often times find myself having to balance the concerns of a very diverse and engaged constituency, which includes organizations and individuals that admirably work to protect our environment, fight for economic and social justice, as well as small business owners, property rights groups, seniors and working families," he reiterated.

  Shifren did not respond to inquiries for comment.

  The senator expressed hope that an accord can be reached among his constituents and lawmakers in the near future. "It is my hope that all stakeholder groups can come together in the aftermath of AB 1998 to fashion a solution that not only protects the environment, but creates or save jobs and helps to expand our economy," he concluded. "I know that working together we can achieve this goal. I am committed to working towards such a solution and look forward to the conversation."