SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — “Paper or plastic” will no longer be a choice at grocery store checkout lines in California under a new law signed Sunday by Gov. Gavin Newsom that bans all plastic shopping bags.
California had already banned thin plastic shopping bags at supermarkets and other stores, but shoppers could purchase bags made with a thicker plastic that purportedly made them reusable and recyclable.
The new measure, approved by state legislators last month, bans all plastic shopping bags starting in 2026. Consumers who don't bring their own bags will now simply be asked if they want a paper bag.
State Sen. Catherine Blakespear, one of the bill's supporters, said people were not reusing or recycling any plastic bags. She pointed to a state study that found that the amount of plastic shopping bags trashed per person grew from 8 pounds (3.6 kilograms) per year in 2004 to 11 pounds (5 kilograms) per year in 2021.
Blakespear, a Democrat from Encinitas, said the previous bag ban passed a decade ago didn't reduce the overall use of plastic.
“We are literally choking our planet with plastic waste,” she said in February.
The environmental nonprofit applauded Newsom for signing the bill and "safeguarding California’s coastline, marine life, and communities from single-use plastic grocery bags.”
Christy Leavitt, Oceana’s plastics campaign director, said Sunday that the new ban on single-use plastic bags at grocery store checkouts “solidifies California as a leader in tackling the global plastic pollution crisis.”
Twelve states, including California, already have some type of statewide plastic bag ban in place, according to the environmental advocacy group Environment America Research & Policy Center. Hundreds of cities across 28 states also have their own plastic bag bans in place.
The California Legislature passed its statewide ban on plastic bags in 2014. The law was later affirmed by voters in a 2016 referendum.
The California Public Interest Research Group said Sunday that the new law finally meets the intent of the original bag ban.
“Plastic bags create pollution in our environment and break into microplastics that contaminate our drinking water and threaten our health,” said the group’s director Jenn Engstrom. “Californians voted to ban plastic grocery bags in our state almost a decade ago, but the law clearly needed a redo. With the Governor’s signature, California has finally banned plastic bags in grocery checkout lanes once and for all.”
As San Francisco’s mayor in 2007, Newsom signed the nation’s first plastic bag ban.
FILE - A plastic bag sits along a roadside in Sacramento, Calif., Oct. 25, 2013. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli, File)
On this evidence, Arsenal and Manchester City look ready to go the distance again in the Premier League. Whether Mikel Arteta can finally get the better of Pep Guardiola is still unknown.
A 2-2 draw at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday showed Arsenal can certainly go toe-to-toe with the four-time defending champion — but it also confirmed City's powers of resilience after dominating English soccer for the past six years.
“Still we have this passion, this fire inside ourselves," Guardiola said after John Stones rescued a point with an equalizer in the eighth minute of stoppage time.
Arsenal has been runner-up to City in each of the last two years — setting new benchmarks along the way — but still coming up short.
Arteta was Guardiola's former assistant at City and now stands as his biggest threat.
On Sunday his team looked like snapping City’s 47-game unbeaten home run, despite being down to 10 men for the entirety of the second half after Leandro Trossard was sent off in first-half stoppage time.
But Arsenal’s resolve was finally broken by substitute Stones, who swept in from close range in the final moments.
“Obviously, it is already a miracle we played 56 minutes at the Etihad with 10 men. It is unbelievable what we have done," said Arteta, who was incensed when Trossard was shown a second yellow card for kicking the ball away.
“I’m expecting 100 Premier League games this season to play 10 against 11 or 10 against 10 or nine against 10, let’s see,” Arteta said.
City was defending an unbeaten home run dating back to a 2-1 loss to Brentford in November 2022. Arsenal was within moments of its first victory at City since 2015 after Gabriel Magalhaes’ first-half header had put the visitors 2-1 up.
Stones' late leveler was in keeping with a game packed with intrigue and incident.
Erling Haaland reached a landmark when putting City ahead in the ninth with his 100th goal for the club in 105 appearances — firing past Arsenal goalkeeper David Raya.
That later felt like an aside as the home fans began to resign themselves to a rare defeat on home soil.
Influential City midfielder Rodri had left the field in the 20th after appearing to hurt his right knee. The Spain international limped off and his departure proved a turning point as Arsenal leveled just two minutes later through Riccardo Calafiori’s curling effort from outside the area.
Magalhaes then headed the visitors in front from a corner in the first minute of first-half stoppage time, having come close from an almost identical routine shortly before.
There was still time for another pivotal moment before the break when Trossard was sent off.
With a numerical advantage, City dominated the second half but looked like being frustrated by Arsenal's stubborn defense and some impressive saves from Raya.
Stones, a center back who sometimes operates in midfield, was brought on and Guardiola instructed him to join Haaland in attack.
“He wanted me to play closer to Erling, get higher up the pitch so when we got crosses in we could start to win more aerial duels,” Stones said.
It paid off.
“Over the years we have learned as a team to stick together, no matter who is playing and to always be ready," Stones added.
The draw ended City’s 100% winning record in the league season, but left it a point ahead of second-place Liverpool and Aston Villa in third.
Arsenal is two points off the leader in fourth.
Arteta said his players were “really gutted” in the locker room after seeing victory snatched away so late.
“But, as well, they know that they have made another big step today," he said.
Brighton manager Fabian Hurzeler and Nottingham Forest boss Nuno Espírito Santo were sent off in a bad-tempered end to their teams' 2-2 draw.
The dismissals were triggered by Forest midfielder Morgan Gibbs-White being shown a second yellow card in the 83rd at Amex Stadium for a reckless challenge on Joao Pedro.
That sparked angry reactions on the sidelines, with Espirito Santo and Hurzeler both shown red by referee Robert Jones for what the Premier League described as “unacceptable technical area behavior.”
Forest stunned Liverpool with a 1-0 win at Anfield last weekend and it took the lead Sunday through Chris Wood's penalty in the 13th minute. Jack Hinshelwood and Danny Welbeck gave Brighton a halftime lead with goals in the 42nd and 45th. Ramon Sosa leveled the game in the 70th.
James Robson is at https://twitter.com/jamesalanrobson
AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
Arsenal's Gabriel reacts during the English Premier League soccer match between Manchester City and Arsenal at the Etihad stadium in Manchester, England, Sunday, Sept. 22, 2024. (AP Photo/Dave Thompson)
Arsenal's manager Mikel Arteta, left, gestures as he stands on the touchline next to Manchester City's head coach Pep Guardiola during the English Premier League soccer match between Manchester City and Arsenal at the Etihad stadium in Manchester, England, Sunday, Sept. 22, 2024. (AP Photo/Dave Thompson)
Manchester City's Erling Haaland, right, and Ruben Dias remonstrate with referee Michael Oliver during the English Premier League soccer match between Manchester City and Arsenal at the Etihad stadium in Manchester, England, Sunday, Sept. 22, 2024. (AP Photo/Dave Thompson)
Arsenal players react after Manchester City's John Stones scored an equaliser in the English Premier League soccer match between Manchester City and Arsenal at the Etihad stadium in Manchester, England, Sunday, Sept. 22, 2024. (AP Photo/Dave Thompson)
Manchester City's Erling Haaland has a disagreement with Arsenal's Gabriel during the English Premier League soccer match between Manchester City and Arsenal at the Etihad stadium in Manchester, England, Sunday, Sept. 22, 2024. (AP Photo/Dave Thompson)
Manchester City's John Stones, center, celebrates scoring his side's second goal during the English Premier League soccer match between Manchester City and Arsenal at the Etihad stadium in Manchester, England, Sunday, Sept. 22, 2024. (AP Photo/Dave Thompson)
Manchester City's Erling Haaland, center, celebrates after scoring his side's opening goal during the English Premier League soccer match between Manchester City and Arsenal at the Etihad stadium in Manchester, England, Sunday, Sept. 22, 2024. (AP Photo/Dave Thompson)
Manchester City's Rodri reacts to an injury, during the English Premier League soccer match between Manchester City and Arsenal at the Etihad stadium in Manchester, England, Sunday, Sept. 22, 2024. (Martin Rickett/PA via AP)
Manchester City's head coach Pep Guardiola shouts out from the touchline during the English Premier League soccer match between Manchester City and Arsenal at the Etihad stadium in Manchester, England, Sunday, Sept. 22, 2024. (AP Photo/Dave Thompson)
Manchester City's head coach Pep Guardiola shouts out from the touchline during the English Premier League soccer match between Manchester City and Arsenal at the Etihad stadium in Manchester, England, Sunday, Sept. 22, 2024. (AP Photo/Dave Thompson)
Arsenal's Gabriel scores his side's second goal of the game, during the English Premier League soccer match between Manchester City and Arsenal at the Etihad stadium in Manchester, England, Sunday, Sept. 22, 2024. (Martin Rickett/PA via AP)
Arsenal's Gabriel, center, celebrates scoring his side's second goal during the English Premier League soccer match between Manchester City and Arsenal at the Etihad stadium in Manchester, England, Sunday, Sept. 22, 2024. (AP Photo/Dave Thompson)
Arsenal's Gabriel celebrates scoring his side's second goal during the English Premier League soccer match between Manchester City and Arsenal at the Etihad stadium in Manchester, England, Sunday, Sept. 22, 2024. (AP Photo/Dave Thompson)
Manchester City's John Stones, center, scores his side's second goal during the English Premier League soccer match between Manchester City and Arsenal at the Etihad stadium in Manchester, England, Sunday, Sept. 22, 2024. (AP Photo/Dave Thompson)
Nottingham Forest's Morgan Gibbs-White, left and Brighton and Hove Albion's Pervis Estupinan vie for the ball, during the English Premier League soccer match between Brighton and Nottingham Forest, at the American Express Stadium, in Brighton and Hove, England, Sunday, Sept. 22, 2024. (Gareth Fuller/PA via AP)
Brighton and Hove Albion's Danny Welbeck celebrates after scoring his side's second goal of the game, during the English Premier League soccer match between Brighton and Nottingham Forest, at the American Express Stadium, in Brighton and Hove, England, Sunday, Sept. 22, 2024. (Gareth Fuller/PA via AP)
Nottingham Forest manager Nuno Espirito Santo gestures, during the English Premier League soccer match between Brighton and Nottingham Forest, at the American Express Stadium, in Brighton and Hove, England, Sunday, Sept. 22, 2024. (Gareth Fuller/PA via AP)
Nottingham Forest's Morgan Gibbs-White, second right, protests after being shown a red card by referee Robert Jones, during the English Premier League soccer match between Brighton and Nottingham Forest, at the American Express Stadium, in Brighton and Hove, England, Sunday, Sept. 22, 2024. (Gareth Fuller/PA via AP)
