California Governor Signs New Plastic Bag Ban Into Law

Gov. Gavin Newsom has officially signed a new bill banning all plastic bags in California grocery stores including in Santa Clarita.

The new bill, SB 1053, changes the current plastic bag ban to make plastic bags no longer an option at checkout for people shopping in California.

Starting Jan. 1, 2026, shoppers who do not bring their reusable bags will simply be asked if they want a paper bag for their goods, for a small fee, according to state legislators.

This new bill comes after a long history of attempts to reduce plastic waste at checkouts in California. Established by the passage of SB 270, the first plastic bag ban allowed stores to sell “thicker plastic bags” to customers to reuse and recycle, but the reality is people hardly do so.

“The previous bill allowed stores to sell customers thicker plastic carryout bags that were considered reusable and met certain recyclability standards. However, the truth is almost none of those bags are reused or recycled, and they end up in landfills or polluting the environment,” said State Sen. Catherine Blakespear in a statement.

One state study pointed out by Blakespear revealed that the amount of plastic shopping bags trashed per person went from 8 pounds per year in 2004 to 11 pounds per year in 2021.

Environmental non-profit Oceana was thrilled to hear about Newsom signing this bill and safeguarding California’s coastline and marine life.

“The new ban on single-use plastic bags at grocery store checkouts solidifies California as a leader in tackling the global plastic pollution crisis,” said Oceana’s plastics campaign director Christy Leavitt.

Along with California, 12 other states have put plastic bag bans into effect.

On Sunday, the California Public Interest Research Group, a nonprofit dedicated to consumer protections,  said this new bill finally meets the intent of the original plastic ban that was introduced in 2014.

“Plastic bags create pollution in our environment and break into microplastics that contaminate our drinking water and threaten our health. Californians voted to ban plastic grocery bags in our state almost a decade ago, but the law clearly needed a redo,” said the group’s director Jenn Engstrom.

Ed. Note: This story written by Kamryn Martell.

Sponsored Articles

Do you have a news tip? Call us at (661) 298-1220, or send an email to news@hometownstation.com. Don’t miss a thing. Get breaking KHTS Santa Clarita News Alerts delivered right to your inbox. Report a typo or error, email Corrections@hometownstation.com

KHTS FM 98.1 and AM 1220 is Santa Clarita’s only local radio station. KHTS mixes in a combination of news, traffic, sports, and features along with your favorite adult contemporary hits. Santa Clarita news and features are delivered throughout the day over our airwaves, on our website and through a variety of social media platforms. Our KHTS national award-winning daily news briefs are now read daily by 34,000+ residents. A vibrant member of the Santa Clarita community, the KHTS broadcast signal reaches all of the Santa Clarita Valley and parts of the high desert communities located in the Antelope Valley. The station streams its talk shows over the web, reaching a potentially worldwide audience. Follow @KHTSRadio on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.