Study: Big Plastic Has Spent More Than $7 Million Trying To Stop California’s Bag Ban

A handful of mostly out-of-state companies have shattered the $7 million mark in lobbying, political contributions, and on a referendum to try to stop California’s ban on single-use plastic bags, according to a new analysis https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B32owjJDBMJDWXdyemx5UFdXUE0/view?usp=sharing conducted by Forward Observer, a Sacramento-based research firm.

The figure does not include undisclosed legal costs by the industry, which has launched at least 12 lawsuits against plastic bag bans in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Oakland and other California communities. Also not included are the industry’s political ads launched during the 2014 legislative session when SB270 was passed, nor the cost of industry-supported studies on the legislation.

Forward Observer’s report was released as the California Assembly’s Natural Resources Committee is expected to kill two bills by Assemblymember Matthew Harper (R-Huntington Beach) to repeal and modify the law today.

The analysis found the industry has spent $3,413,500 on the referendum (which will be on the November 2016 ballot), $3,088,578 in lobbying since 2005, and $519,250 in political contributions.

Some 98.9 percent of those funds are from out-of-state corporations, the analysis found.

“The plastic bag industry is using every tool in the toolbox to affect public policy,” said Joe Rodota, Forward Observer’s CEO. “We have not seen this level of expenditures out-of-state interests trying to affect California public policy in quite some time.”

Plastic bag company South Carolina-based HilexPoly, now known as Novolex and owned by the Chicago-based equity firm Wind Point Partners, is the leader in efforts against the ban. The company made 99.2% of the political contributions, spent $1.9 million in lobbying, and has contributed $1,833,500 on the referendum campaign so far.

In that campaign, the American Progressive Bag Alliance has reported $3,413,500.01 in contributions from plastic bag manufacturers and chemical companies. Contributions to the APBA ballot committee have come from only thirteen companies, with 97.9% of donations coming from outside California.

“The out-of-state plastic bag companies clearly fear that what happens in California will spread like wildfire across the nation, because they know the continued manufacture of their product is unpopular and indefensible given its impact on wildlife and the environment,” said Mark Murray of Californians vs. Big Plastic, the coalition of environmental groups that support the California law.

A poll by USC/LA Times found that Californians are expected to overwhelmingly reject the industry’s efforts to repeal the statewide ban. https://news.usc.edu/70472/usc-dornsifela-times-poll-californians-strongly-back-plastic-grocery-bag-ban/

Forward Observer’s Rodota says the industry should expect to spend at least $50 million on its 2016 campaign based on recent research his firm conducted on ballot measure campaigns http://www.fwdobserver.com/images/stories/research brief -- initiative spending by category - march 6 2015.pdf