Statement From The American Progressive Bag Alliance On Intent To Repeal Senate Bill 270 Through Referendum

SACRAMENTO, Calif., Sept. 30, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ --The American Progressive Bag Alliance (APBA) issued the following statement from Executive Director Lee Califf in response to Governor Jerry Brown's decision to sign SB 270 (Padilla) in to law.

"The approval of SB 270 by the California legislature and Governor Jerry Brown could serve as a case study for what happens when greedy special interests and bad government collide in the policymaking process.

"Senator Padilla's bill was never legislation about the environment. It was a back room deal between the grocers and union bosses to scam California consumers out of billions of dollars without providing any public benefit – all under the guise of environmentalism. If this law were allowed to go into effect it would jeopardize thousands of California manufacturing jobs, hurt the environment, and fleece consumers for billions so grocery store shareholders and their union partners can line their pockets.

"Fortunately, California's constitution provides voters the opportunity to stop bad laws through the referendum process. Our research confirms that the vast majority of California voters are opposed to legislation that bans recyclable plastic bags and allows grocers to charge and keep fees on other bags. So we have taken the necessary steps to gather signatures and qualify a referendum to repeal SB 270 on the November 2016 ballot. Since state lawmakers failed their constituents by approving this terrible bill, we will take the question directly to the public and have great faith they will repeal it at the ballot box. Ultimately the voters will decide and, until then, California families – including thousands of our industry's workers – will be protected from the implementation of this unprecedented scam."

Information about the California referendum process:

• Once receiving the Governor's signature, the bill is chaptered by the Secretary of State
• Upon chaptering of the bill, a referendum proponent has 90 days to gather the necessary number of signatures of registered voters to qualify the referendum; the number of signatures must be equal to 5% of the votes cast for all candidates for Governor in the last gubernatorial election (504,760)
• Upon qualifying the referendum, the law will be suspended until voters cast their ballots during the next general election in November 2016
• If a majority of Californians votes to repeal the law, the issue is settled; if a majority votes in favor of the law, it will go into effect in January 2017

About the American Progressive Bag Alliance (APBA)
The American Progressive Bag Alliance was founded in 2005 to represent the United States' plastic bag manufacturing and recycling sector, employing 30,800 employees in 349 communities across the nation. APBA promotes the responsible use, reuse, recycling and disposal of plastic bags and advocates for American-made plastic products as the best environmental choice at check out—for both retailers and consumers.

CONTACT: Molly Pacala 212-819-4869, [email protected]

SOURCE American Progressive Bag Alliance