Mailbag: Sign me up to help with bag ban petition

Re: “Effort to repeal bag ban begins,” Independent, Dec. 26.

It’s about time.

The bag ban/tax not only violates the freedoms of Huntington Beach merchants and consumers, it also takes away something that until now was included in the cost of our purchases.

Without the “free” bag, we now pay the same but get less for our money, and we must also buy whatever bags we want. Not exactly what most residents need right now.

A repeal stands a very good chance of passing, since most of us seem to oppose the ban. The only challenge will be getting the petition to a good number of residents for their signatures. It’s time to volunteer.

Please, Frank LoGrasso, who started a signature drive, tell us how to help.

Lisa Miller

Huntington Beach

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Ban has unintended consequences

Thank you, Frank LaGrasso, for undertaking a petition drive to put the overturn of the plastic-bag ban on the ballot.

This is an issue that initially should have gone to a vote of the residents of Huntington Beach and not been decided by a few council members.

Unfortunately, these plastic bags have been characterized as single-use, which is not true. Most of us use them not only for groceries but to line trash cans, wrap cat and dog waste, gather wet bathing suits, carry lunches and more.

If the plastic bags are so terrible, why do we have the option of purchasing one at the point of sale? Is this a tax on us for bad behavior? More social engineering from a few officials who presume to know better than we how we should conduct our lives?

Many of us are now purchasing additional plastic kitchen bags to use for the tasks previously taken care of with the plastic grocery bags. Has anyone noticed an increase in the amount of dog waste not picked up? What about the increased use of paper bags, which means more trees cut down and energy used to manufacture them?

I am sure this was not the outcome that the council had in mind. Unfortunately, what sounded like a feel-good idea at the time has many unintended consequences.

Hopefully, LaGrasso obtains enough signatures so that the voters of Huntington Beach can have their say.

Martha Morrow

Huntington Beach