Citywide Plastic Bag Ban Finally Passes

The City Council, voting 9-1, finally passed a ban on plastic shopping bags. The law takes effect in big grocery stores beginning January 1, while liquor stores and independent markets have until July 2014 to comply. For those forgetting their canvas tote, paper bags will be available for a dime a pop. The council was told that about 15 locals would lose their jobs because of the ban, though the fact that LA pays $2 million a year to clean up plastic bag detritus outweighed that concern. [Patch]