Proposed ballot measure means California plastic bag ban likely on hold

Orange Country Register reports:

Plastic bag manufacturers stand to sell 9 billion additional plastic bags simply by gathering enough signatures for a ballot measure to repeal the state’s plastic bag ban, which is scheduled to take effect July 1.

Bag makers say they’ll finish submitting the necessary signatures by Monday’s deadline, which would land the referendum on the November 2016 ballot. Once a referendum qualifies, the law it seeks to overturn cannot take effect until after voters have their say, according to state law.

That means that manufacturers would have an additional 16 months to sell plastic bags in the state, even if their referendum fails. That amounts to $145 million worth of bags that would otherwise be banned, according to calculations by the pro-ban Californians Against Waste.

What will California want to ban next?