Why can SF still use 'recyclable' plastic bags despite California's new statewide ban?

"It is a really unique situation we find ourselves in. When the state of California passes a new law, it preempts local law. That's not how this was written. Local law says any city or county that passed its own plastic bag ordinance before 2014 gets to keep it intact."

"Every business owner we spoke to told us they knew of the state law. Yes, I know. We got a notice about the plastic bags, said Pablo Moran, owner of La Espiga de Oro restaurant. But his business was still using the bags because he had purchased them before the state ban."

California implemented a statewide plastic bag ban on January 1, prohibiting businesses from distributing or selling plastic bags, including those labeled recyclable. In San Francisco's Mission District, many businesses continued using banned plastic bags purchased before the law took effect, planning to transition to paper alternatives. Business owners were aware of the state ban but were depleting existing inventory. However, San Francisco businesses are not actually subject to the new state law due to a unique legal situation: cities and counties with plastic bag ordinances established before 2014 retain their local regulations, which take precedence over state law. San Francisco's pre-2014 ordinance remains in effect, creating confusion about enforcement.

Read at ABC7 San Francisco