 Lakes Town Council
P.O. Box 784 Lake Hughes, CA 93532 Meetings - 1st Saturday of month, except holiday weekends - then 2nd Saturday of month Shopping Bags - County Ordinance to Restrict Use Single-use plastic carryout shopping bags are being
eliminated in Los Angeles County. Consumers
are encouraged to bring along a reusable bag when shopping. Retailers are no longer permitted to provide
plastic bags.
Why are single use
plastic bags an issue?
Although single use plastic carryout bags are inexpensive
and have some useful qualities, they have significant environmental impacts. Each year approximately six billion single use
plastic carryout bags are consumed in the County of Los Angeles. Single use plastic bags present both an
economic and an environmental burden on society. Litter cleanup of unincorporated areas costs
County taxpayers over $20 million annually, of which plastic bags are a
significant portion of the litter stream. Since single use plastic bags are
lightweight, they easily become airborne. They tend to be blown around and become
caught in trees, bushes, fences, and storm drains. Bags that are caught on
land are an eyesore but also cause harm to the animals which may become tangled
in the bags or mistake them for food or nesting material. Plastic bag litter often finds its way to the ocean where it
can drift for years. In the marine
environment these bags remain in the water for many years slowly breaking into
smaller pieces. Unfortunately, the bags look very similar to jellyfish and many
turtles and whales mistakenly eat the bags which remain in the animal’s
digestive tract for the rest of its life. They can fill the animal’s stomach and prevent
it from eating sufficient amounts of real food.  There are negative environmental impacts related to paper
bags as well, and a switch from plastic to paper effectively trades one set of
impacts for another.
Reusable bags are a good alternative. They last far longer
and have far less impact on the environment than either plastic or paper single
use bags. Voluntary Bag Reduction program In January 2008 the County began a voluntary single-use paper/plastic
bag reduction and recycling program. The
goal was to reduce bag disposal, and increase recycling for both paper and
plastic single use bags. In two and half
years the initial goal of 30% reduction was not achieved, thus it was
recommended that a mandatory reduction program be implemented. Mandatory program The current ordinance was passed by the board of supervisors
in November 2010. It was first
implemented in large retail stores effective July 1, 2011; later in small retail stores January 1,
2012. The program eliminates the use of
single-use plastic carryout bags, and imposes a ten cent charge for a
single-use paper bag. The purpose of the
10 cent charge is to deter a switch from plastic to paper bags, which have
their own set of environmental drawbacks.
The 10 cent fee is retained by the store. The ordinance is effective in all unincorporated areas of Los
Angeles County. Incorporated cities
within the County are not affected though there are several cities that have
enacted their own bag programs. Other
cities including Lancaster and Palmdale have no single-use bag program. The County program is administered and monitored by the
Department of Public Works. It is their responsibility to monitor compliance,
follow up on complaints, and issue compliance reminders to retail stores as needed. More information
A letter of recomendation to the Board of Supervisors from the Department of Public Works is here. Additional information can be found at the County bag program website here. | The next regular meeting will be held
Saturday June 2, 2012 8:30 AM
at the Lakes Community Center.
Lakes Community Center
17520 Elizabeth Lake Road
Lake Hughes, CA 93532
Element Power Wind Turbine Project
The Los Angeles County Department of Regional Planning has extended the comment period for the Element wind turbine electricity generating project proposed for the Fairmont area. Refer to the notice linked here:
The project description may be found at this link: http://planning.lacounty.gov/assets/upl/case/r2010-00256_nop.pdf
The project is proposed on 3,700 acres located in the Fairmont area approximatey bounded by Munz Ranch Road on the east, the aqueduct on the south, 170th St West on the west, and Avenue E on the north. It borders portions of the Antelope Valley Poppy Reserve eastern and southern boundaries.
Comments should be made as soon as possible, but no later than January 5, 2012.
 On March 28, 2011 the Los Angeles County Department of Regional Planning released a Preliminary draft of the Town and Country Plan for the Antelope Valley. This plan when implemented will apply to and impact the Lakes community. Local Residents are encouraged to review the plan. Click the link below to access this important information. http://planning.lacounty.gov/tnc County of Los Angeles Bicycle Master Plan  http://lacountybikeplan.com/ |